The White Sox announced a minor-league deal for Mike Moustakas on Twitter at 9:02 p.m. CT. That could very well be around the time the signing was made official, but you also couldn't blame the White Sox communications department for hoping to minimize the number of sarcastic responses.
The addition of Moustakas to an already swollen NRI list makes 69 players in the White Sox's big league camp, and while it seems like every other member played for the Royals, only six have direct ties to Pedro Grifol's Kansas City days:
- Andrew Benintendi
- Tim Hill
- Nicky Lopez
- Martín Maldonado
- Mike Moustakas
- Brett Phillips
Yet the feeling of overrepresentation is understandable, because Grifol is considerably less popular when compared to this point last year, another former Royals (Chris Getz) is now running the team, another one is right beneath him on the org chart (Director of Player Personnel Gene Watson), and then five of those guys have signed over the last four months.
Individually, they're all harmless, but you can't fault anybody who wants Getz to lean into literally any other idea.
According to Bob Nightengale, Moustakas will make $2 million if he makes the team, with another $2 million in incentives. That's low enough where I don't think you can consider his spot guaranteed, adjusting my internal John Danks Rule for inflation (he would've made $1.5 million with the Braves in 2016, but didn't make the roster). The incentives signal at least some thought into what could be -- or maybe it's just Scott Boras trying to add some razzle-dazzle to it all -- but I'd consider Kevin Pillar's $3 million a near-lock, and Moustakas' $2 million a big question mark.
So, what could be? Not a lot, if Moustakas' recent history is any indication. The pandemic season was his last one as an above-average hitter, and the last three have been miserable, injury-riddled slogs. The Reds released him in January 2023 with $22 million remaining on his four-year, $64 million deal. He never hit more than eight homers in a season for Cincinnati, and that was over 44 games in 2020.
He returned to double-digit homers in 2023 with 12 over 112 games, taking advantage of a Coors Field bounce with the Rockies (.270/.360/.435) before crashing back to the earth with the Angels (.236/.256/.371). Throw in unremarkable defense and a fair share of DHing, and he's been 2 WAR in the hole the last three seasons.
While Moustakas doesn't look great for the White Sox, the White Sox make sense for Moustakas because the depth chart is thin on the corners. The front-line infield looks mostly set with Andrew Vaughn at first, Nicky Lopez at second, Yoán Moncada at third, and Paul DeJong at short. Behind them is a total toss-up:
Lenyn Sosa? He has the most upside, but he's shown next to nothing in his few cups of coffee.
Braden Shewmake? He's only enjoyed one brief cameo in the big leagues because his Triple-A production hasn't impressed, although he plays a better shortstop than Sosa.
Danny Mendick? If he resembled the guy just before Adam Haseley blew up his knee, sure, but his 33 games with the Mets were less productive than the 2023s from Sosa or Moustakas.
Even if one breaks camp as the utility infielder, none of these guys can play first base in any meaningful sense, which is something else Moustakas provides.
And that brings us to a far more interesting question than wondering what Moustakas might provide...
What does this mean for Gavin Sheets?
Sheets' spot on the 26-man roster appeared strangely secure entering February. A first baseman with a 63 OPS+ and one minor league option remaining should be in one of the least certain situations in baseball, but there Sheets was, appearing at White Sox events in Chicago and defending the team's honor.
“Everybody is counting us out,” said White Sox right fielder Gavin Sheets, who was part of a group of players in Chicago last weekend for a Boys & Girls Club of Chicago event Thursday and a season ticket holder event at the Field Museum Friday. “The only thing you can do is use that to fuel us. We go out every day trying to play hard and win games, and that doesn’t change what we are going to do.
“We all know we aren’t favored to do anything this year. That’s the first time since I’ve been here in the big leagues in three years. We can use that to help us and motivate us and see what we can do with it.”
Just three weeks later, he has to defend his roster spot from a flanking maneuver. First, Dominic Fletcher and Zach DeLoach moved in on right field, and now here's Moustakas to make a push for first base.
If Moustakas is healthy and able to provide average at-bats against right-handed pitching, he might be the natural candidate to fill out the four-man bench. The first three-quarters of it definitely require other players:
- Backup catcher: Max Stassi
- Fourth outfielder: Kevin Pillar
- Utility guy: See above
If the last spot comes down to Sheets and Moustakas and they're in similar shape, the guy who covers two positions and might have an opt-out date on his contract probably gets the nod.
Beyond the implications for Sheets, there isn't much reason to overthink it. While it'll be just as jarring to see Moustakas in a White Sox uniform as it was with Justin Morneau, I'd expect his presence to be something closer to a Hanser Alberto -- a guy Grifol knows who is healthy enough to break the Opening Day roster, with the idea that a younger more exciting talent will usurp him by midsummer.
