MLB rumors: Should Brewers’ Mike Moustakas replace Yankees’ Luke Voit, Greg Bird at first?

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Mike Moustakas declined his option for 2019 and is a free agent. If Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wants to add a bat, would he skip over Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado and Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper for the 30-year-old Moustakas?

The Yankees went into the 2018 season hoping Greg Bird would lock down the first base position.

The season ended with Luke Voit at first.

Clearly, things did not go as planned.

That leaves general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone with a big question at first. Do they hope Voit, acquired from the Cardinals in August, is the real deal? Do they go back to Bird one more time? Or do they look elsewhere?

If it’s door No. 3, Cashman and Boone have an interesting option to consider: Mike Moustakas.

The first baseman declined his $15 option with the Brewers for 2019, making him a free agent.

This is the second straight year Moustakas will test the free agent waters.

He hoped for a big payday last year, after a 38-home run campaign in 2017 for the Kansas City Royals. Something along the lines of the five-year, $110 million contract JD Martinez got from the Boston Red Sox.

But that never happened for Moustakas, who returned to the Royals in 2018 on a one-year, $6.5 million prove-it contract.

The Royals traded Moustakas to the Brewers in July, and he helped Milwaukee reach the National League Championship Series, which they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.

Moustakas combined to hit 28 home runs and 95 RBI in 2018.

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So is the 30-year-old slugger a good fit for the Yankees? Probably not, unless the Yankees can get him cheap.

Everyone knows the Yankees need pitching. That’s where the team should be spending during the offseason.

If they want to chase hitting, the Yankees can go for younger and more prolific Manny Machado and/or Bryce Harper. No need to toy around with Moustakas, who’s on the wrong side of 30 with a lifetime OPS of .737.

The Yankees are better off seeing if Voit is the real deal or if Bird can finally become the player the team thinks he can be. 

Both players will cost much less than what Moustakas will be seeking on the open market.

If Voit and Bird don’t pan out, the Yankees can turn around and address the position before the trade deadline in 2019.

No need to blow through the money now.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.