Report: Cardinals have renewed interest in Moustakas

The Kansas City Royals are likely trade-deadline sellers, and a fellow Missouri-based club has renewed interest in Mike Moustakas, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The St. Louis Cardinals are still evaluating their current club and have yet to engage the Royals regarding the third baseman. But they have some level of interest in Moustakas.

Over the past few months, the Cardinals have been widely connected to trade possibilities at third base, particularly while shifting Matt Carpenter around the diamond from his natural position. For the start of the 2018 campaign, the team had reappointed Carpenter as its starting third baseman.

While the Cardinals haven't entered into serious discussions on any single player, Rosenthal reports several clubs have contacted the Royals regarding Moustakas.

Moustakas, 29, is likely to be somewhat of a hot commodity as the deadline approaches after going nearly all offseason without signing a deal as a free agent. After rejecting a one-year qualifying offer worth $17.4 million, Moustakas wound up accepting a one-year, $5.5-million deal to remain in Kansas City. The deal includes a $15-million mutual option for 2019 and $1-million buyout.

Despite a lack of eagerness from teams to sign him this past winter, Moustakas now presents an intriguing rental option for contenders. The left-handed slugger owns a .255/.310/.467 slash line with 15 home runs and three stolen bases over 78 games while playing replacement-level defense at the hot corner.