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Scout: Yanks, Royals in talks for Moustakas
TORONTO — With Royals scouts checking things out throughout the Yankees’ system, it’s easy to connect the dots beyond general manager Brian Cashman being interested in any of the underperforming Royals starting pitchers despite looking everywhere for rotation help.
In the course of conversations between the clubs, Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas’ name has surfaced, according to a scout not employed by either team.
The scout said he was told the Yankees were looking at the 29-yearold Moustakas as a first base option, but did not say who the Royals were looking to get back in return. The left-handed hitting Moustakas can be a free agent following the season.
With Greg Bird, 25, at f irst, it’s not likely the Yankees would deal him for two-plus months of Moustakas before he tests the free agent waters for a second straight offseason. This past winter, Moustakas had to settle for a one-year deal worth $6.5 million as a free agent.
Bird’s injury history is a red flag to a lot of teams. If the Yankees remain interested in Moustakas, it could turn toward a deal that doesn’t include Bird, but one that protects against another injury.
“Some are accurate and some are not,’’ Cashman said when asked about an MLB.com report that he talked to the Royals about Moustakas. “I wouldn’t comment.’’
The Royals had a scout at Yankee Stadium last week, so it stands to reason someone on the big league roster was being looked at. The Royals also had a scout watching Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre recently.
Bird went 0-for-3 with a walk Friday night and was robbed of an extra base hit by Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar with a leaping catch at the wall.
Tyler Wade, Brandon Drury,
Neil Walker and Aaron Hicks took ground balls at second base after participating in early batting practice Friday afternoon.
With Gleyber Torres on the disabled list, Boone said Walker will get a lot of action at second base, where Drury and Wade also have experience.
“I would imagine he would play a lot,’’ Boone said of the struggling Walker, who entered Friday night’s action batting .188 (32-for-170) with a .268 on-base percentage and went 0-for-3 with a walk. “I would expect Walker to get extended playing time.’’
Torres said he hopes to start doing baseball related activities in Baltimore next week. He also said the problem in the right hip that landed him on the DL is in a different spot than the area the Yankees checked out with an MRI exam in December.
Boone said Masahiro Tanaka will come off the DL on Tuesday and start at Baltimore.
As for the starters in Monday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Camden Yards, CC Sabathia will go in one of them and the decision of who will start the other has not yet been made.
“[ Jonathan Loaisiga] is in the mix and [ Luis] Cessa is in the mix,’’ Boone said of the right-handers, currently at SWB. “We haven’t decided yet. It’s something we are talking about.’’
Catcher Austin Romine returned to the lineup Friday after not starting the past four games with a left hamstring problem and went 1-for-3 and scored a run.