Boras hints that Moustakas may not sign before Opening Day

Mike Moustakas doesn't have a contract for 2018, and he may not sign one until the regular season is underway. Agent Scott Boras hasn't ruled out the possibility that his client could sit out games in April and beyond to prepare to re-enter the market following the season.

"The teams are coming, and Moose is going to be playing baseball," Boras told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. "But I don't control time, and I don't control competitiveness. The question is when do those teams want to commit to winning, and of course I think he'll be playing, yes."

One thing that will be different heading into 2019 is the third baseman will not have a compensatory draft pick attached as a penalty for signing him. A player can only be issued a qualifying offer once under the current collective bargaining agreement. Moustakas rejected the Kansas City Royals' $17.4-million qualifying offer in November. If a team signs him now, it will need to send a draft pick to the Royals as compensation.

If Moustakas waits until after the amateur draft in June, the compensation pick is no longer attached, which could improve his chances of being signed, especially if a team is in need of a left-handed bat for a playoff push.

"Watch what happens," Boras said. "This player has no picks attached to him. It goes away, because they can only put it on him once. So now it's a totally different world for Moose."

Moustakas is coming off a career season in which he hit .272/.314/.521 with 38 home runs and 85 RBIs.