"Just change your name to Royals" - White Sox fans infuriated as team agrees to sign Mike Moustakas on a minor-league deal
Third baseman Mike Moustakas has agreed to a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox and will be a non-roster invitee. However, not many fans were happy about the signing and mentioned that the club keeps on adding players who are of declining age or come from a losing team.
One fan even used this opportunity to ask the White Sox to replace their name with the Royals.
"Just change your name to Royals," one fan said.
Here are a few other fan reactions on X:
One fan asked the club to stop acquiring players from a losing organization.
One fan mentioned that the White Sox only add players who are in their mid-30s, like Moustakas, who is 35 years old.
This will be Moustakas' 14th season in the MLB after making his debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2011. With the Royals, where he spent eight years, he earned two All-Star selections and contributed to the team's 2015 title-winning run.
Mike Moustakas' production has declined over the years
With the Royals, Mike Moustakas had a decent run in the first eight years. He had a .251 batting average with 858 hits, 139 home runs, 441 RBIs and 388 runs scored.
After spending two years with the Brewers, Moustakas signed a four-year, $64 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds. Despite this being the largest free agent deal in Reds history, Moustakas had an underwhelming tenure. He could only average .216 with 124 hits, 21 homers, 74 RBIs and 64 runs scored.
This prompted an early release ahead of the 2023 season by the club, taking away almost $22 million in salary from his contract.
Left without a contract, Mike Moustakas signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies but his exploits in Spring Training earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, within a couple of months, he was traded away to the Angels in exchange for Connor Van Scoyoc.
Over the last four seasons, his slash line has been below. 240/.330/.750. Despite an invite to Spring Training, he will remain at large as a bench piece for the White Sox in 2024.