Red Sox Trade Rumors: Boston Reportedly Interested In Royals' Mike Moustakas
BOSTON (CBS) -- The MLB hot stove is heating up, and the Red Sox are reportedly interested in a veteran at the hot corner.
According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, Boston has expressed interest in Royals veteran third baseman Mike Moustakas. They join the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees as potential landing spots for Moustakas at the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
The #RedSox and #Braves are both interested in Mike Moustakas as a trade deadline acquisition, sources say. The #Yankees have already been mentioned as a potential landing spot. There's enough of a market for Moose that it's more likely than not the Royals deal him this month.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 15, 2018
Moustakas, 29, is hitting .249 with 19 homers for the 27-68 Royals this year and will be a free agent at the end of the season. The Red Sox could be interested in bringing in Moustakas to help the struggling Rafael Devers (currently on the DL, batting just .241 with 19 errors) at third, potentially letting the 21-year-old move to the DH spot with J.D. Martinez seeing more time in the outfield.
While rumors are always a lot of fun at this time of the year, Moustakas securing third base for Boston the rest of the season is unlikely. If Kansas City can create a bidding war for the veteran between the Sox, Braves and Yankees, both Atlanta and New York have much more to offer for the veteran's services and should be able to exceed any offer. The Red Sox are expected to explore their options at third base ahead of the deadline, but Moustakas will likely become too pricey.