Royals send Moose to Brewers for 2 prospects
NEW YORK -- The Royals late Friday night agreed to a deal with the Brewers that sends third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Brewers for Minor Leaguers Brett Phillips and Jorge López.
Moustakas, who set the franchise single-season record for home runs with 38 in 2017, agreed to a $5.5 million deal in March with a mutual option in '19 that contained a $1 million buyout.
The Royals announced Friday's deal on Twitter but said general manager Dayton Moore would not be available for comment until Saturday.
Moustakas, hitting .249 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs over 98 games this season, was likely to be dealt because he was on an expiring contract.
In exchange for Moustakas, the Royals -- in an effort to restock their farm system -- picked up two players who could crack their MLB Pipeline Top 30 list.
Philips, the Brewers' No. 10 prospect, was the Astros' sixth-round Draft pick in 2012. A left-handed hitter with an above-average arm, Phillips collected six homers, 25 RBIs and 11 stolen bases at Triple-A Colorado this season. Last year, he posted a .944 OPS at Triple-A and a .799 OPS during a 37-game stint in the Majors.
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Lopez, 25, was once considered the Brewers' top pitching prospect before moving into a relief role in 2017. The right-hander has shuttled between the big leagues and the Minors six times this season while posting a 2.75 ERA in 10 appearances.