Report: Cardinals eyeing Moustakas, Brewers may have interest

A pair of teams that are expected to contend for the National League Central crown in 2019 are apparently keeping tabs on one of free agency's top third basemen.

The St. Louis Cardinals have Mike Moustakas on their radar, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, who added that the Milwaukee Brewers are among other teams with possible interest.

Moustakas finished his 2018 season with the Brewers after being acquired from the Kansas City Royals in July. Before that trade, the Cardinals reportedly showed interest in acquiring the two-time All-Star.

The 30-year-old Moustakas doesn't have any draft-pick compensation attached to him - unlike last offseason - and he's arguably the best remaining free-agent third baseman on the market now that Josh Donaldson has signed with the Atlanta Braves. Manny Machado can play third base, but he's expected to sign somewhere as a shortstop.

Last year, Moustakas had a rough time finding a free-agent deal due to the draft-pick compensation. He wound up settling for a one-year, $6.5-million contract with the Royals - who later dealt him to Milwaukee - after first rejecting a $17.4-million qualifying offer.

In 152 games split between the Royals and Brewers in 2018, Moustakas hit .251/.315/.459 with 28 home runs and 95 RBIs. He ranked ninth among qualified third basemen in defensive runs saved and made just 12 errors in 356 chances.