Mike Moustakas signs two-year deal with Royals to avoid arbitration

The Royals have signed Mike Moustakas to a two-year contract to avoid going to salary arbitration with the 27-year-old third baseman, the team announced Thursday.

The Royals have signed Mike Moustakas to a two-year contract to avoid going to salary arbitration with the 27-year-old third baseman, the team announced Thursday. The deal is worth $14.3 million, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports. 

Moustakas has been Kansas City’s starting third baseman since the middle of the 2011 season. He posted career highs in every offensive category last season and was selected to his first All-Star team.

After posting below-average offensive numbers in his first four MLB seasons, Moustakas batted .284 with an .817 slugging percentage in 2015. He was worth 4.4 WAR by Baseball Reference’s measure.

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The Royals have now agreed to terms with all their arbitration-eligible players.

- Dan Gartland