Mike Moustakas agreed to a two-year, $14.3 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Moustakas agreed to a two-year, $14.3 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Analysis:

An impressive 2015 campaign from the 26-year-old Moustakas earned him a significant pay bump for the final two years of arbitration. After setting career highs in most offensive categories, his place in the batting order remains a bit unclear heading into the 2016 season. He began 2015 batting second in the order, but the mid-season acquisition of Ben Zobrist resulted in Moustakas being pushed down to sixth. With Zobrist no longer in the picture, it wouldn't be surprising if he returned to a more advantageous spot in the lineup.