Three-Time MLB All-Star Mike Moustakas to Retire With Original Team

Each year, a number of veteran free agents see their playing careers end with no formal announcement, no retirement tour, and no press conference. When the Los Angeles Angels declined to re-sign Mike Moustakas two years ago, his career faded quietly into the history books.

Moustakas, an integral part of the Kansas City Royals’ last World Series championship team, did not appear in a regular season game in 2024. The 36-year-old third baseman won’t play in 2025 either, but at least he’ll re-sign with the franchise that drafted him second overall in 2007.

Royals general manager JJ Piccolo announced in an interview with The Fan 96.5 in Kansas City that Moustakas will sign a one-day contract with the team on May 31 and formally retire as a Royal.

Moustakas’ rise coincided with that of the Royals, who rode a homegrown nucleus of talent all the way to the championship in 2015. That year, Moustakas also made the first of his three All-Star teams, hitting 22 home runs, driving in 82 runs, and posting a career-high .348 on-base percentage in the regular season.

Moustakas delivered a clutch performance in Game 6 of the 2015 American League Championship Series, going 2 for 4 with a home run in Kansas City’s series-clinching 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 7 for 23 (.304) in the Royals’ World Series victory over the New York Mets, striking out just once in the five-game series.

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In 2017, Moustakas again was chosen to the All-Star team, slashing .272/.314/.521 with a career-high 38 home runs.

When Moustakas was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018, it signaled the end of an era in Kansas City — and the start of a new era in Milwaukee. He batted .364 in the Brewers’ three-game National League Division Series sweep of the Rockies, bringing Milwaukee within one round of the World Series for the first time since 2011.

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Moustakas made his third and final All-Star team in 2019 with the Brewers. He finished the season with 35 home runs and an .845 OPS (114 OPS+) while seeing time at third base and second base.

From 2020-22, Moustakas provided veteran leadership while roaming the infield for a young Cincinnati Reds team. Although he helped the Reds reach the Wild Card round in 2020, he went 0 for 8 in the series and was effectively a reserve infielder by the time he was released in Jan. 2023.

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Moustakas split the 2023 season between the Colorado Rockies and Angels, slashing .247/.293/.392 with 12 homers and 48 RBIs. He signed with the Chicago White Sox in Feb. 2024 but failed to make the team out of spring training, hitting .195.

Now, Moustakas will return to the AL Central team that facilitated his rise to stardom, a fitting end to a decorated career.

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