After three seasons, Mike Moustakas’ time in the Cincinnati Reds organization is officially over.
The Reds released Moustakas on Thursday after he was designated for assignment on Dec. 22 when they signed free agents Wil Myers and Curt Casali. The Reds are eating the $22 million remaining in Moustakas’ contract and the 34-year-old will search for playing time opportunities elsewhere.
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Releasing Moustakas was the likeliest outcome after he was designated for assignment. The Reds never found a trade partner for him over the last couple of years because of his salary and they were unwilling to attach a prospect with him to entice teams to pick up his remaining contract.
“We had to look at it more for what our team is next year,” Reds General Manager Nick Krall said on Dec. 22. “We’re already paying him. Who is the best fit for our team moving forward. It was a tough decision. They are all tough decisions. They are decisions made about good people and they are career-altering decisions for them. I just think for us, we had to make sure we’re making the best decision for our organization.”
Mike Moustakas signed richest free agent contract in Reds history
Moustakas signed a four-year, $64 million deal with the Reds in Dec. 2019, the richest free agent contract in club history. In the following three seasons, he played in 184 of the team’s 384 games (48%) with seven separate stints on the 10-day injured list.
He hit .254 with 35 homers and 87 RBI in 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers and was selected to the All-Star team for the third time in his career. In three years with the Reds, he hit .216 with 21 homers and 74 RBI.
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The Reds signed Moustakas as a second baseman and hoped his power would make up for his defensive shortcomings at the position. He never hit more than eight homers in a season with the Reds and totaled more home runs in away games than hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park over the last three years.
Moustakas moved to third base once Jonathan India emerged as an Opening Day starter in 2021, with Eugenio Suárez at shortstop, and then he became a part-time player when he returned from a foot injury alongside Suárez. Moustakas made most of his starts during the 2022 season at designated hitter.
After signing Myers and Casali, the Reds opted against bringing Moustakas to spring training despite the money owed to him. His role, Krall said, was redundant with other players on the roster.
“Moose has had some injuries over the last couple of years, which have limited him,” Krall said. “It sucks. He’s a good guy. I definitely like him as a person and a player. We just felt we had to go in a different direction.”
Bronson Arroyo releasing new album
Former Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, elected to the team Hall of Fame in October, is releasing an album with his group, the Bronson Arroyo Band, of 10 original songs on Feb. 17. The new album is titled “Some Might Say.”
“The theme throughout the album is my optimism for life,” Arroyo said in a statement. “I’ve always been about being present and enjoying the moment. The glass is always half full – that’s the thread that ties all the songs together.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mike Moustakas released by Reds with $22 million left in contract