The Cincinnati Reds entered the offseason in desperate need of bats, and they have found at least one.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Reds have signed third baseman Mike Moustakas to a four-year contract, landing themselves one of the top infield bats on the open market.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Moustakas' deal is believed to be in the $65 million range.
Moustakas spent the 2019 campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers, slashing .254/.329/.516 with 35 home runs and 87 RBI over 584 plate appearances en route to an All-Star appearance.
The 31-year-old was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals with the second overall pick of the 2007 MLB Draft.
He made his big-league debut in 2011, playing in 89 games and slashing .263/.309/.367 with five long balls and 30 RBI across 365 trips to the plate. The following year, he nabbed a full-time role with the Royals and slashed .242/.296/.412 with 20 dingers and 73 RBI through 614 plate appearances.
It wasn't until 2015 that Moustakas finally began to live up to his lofty expectations, as he registered a slash line of .284/.348/.470 with 22 homers and 82 RBI over 614 trips to the plate, earning his first All-Star selection and helping Kansas City win a World Series.
He spent two and a half more years with the Royals, notching another All-Star appearance in 2017 while slashing .272/.314/.521 with 38 home runs and 85 RBI.
Midway through the 2018 campaign, Kansas City traded Moustakas to the Brewers, and in 152 games between the two clubs that season, he slashed .251/.315/.459 with 28 long balls and 95 RBI.
While Moustakas may be lacking in plate discipline (career .310 OBP), his power numbers are hard to ignore.
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