3 'bad contract' swaps for Reds infielder Mike Moustakas

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Mike Moustakas has become the elephant in the room for the Cincinnati Reds this offseason. With the club embracing a full-on rebuild, Moose's presence on the roster is hinderance to the development of the young players.

The problem is his gargantuan salary in 2023. The Redlegs signed Moustakas to a four-year/$64M contract in 2019. As he enters what will be his final year of that deal, the Reds are on the hook for $18M in 2023 and $4M in order to buy out his team-option for 2024. That's a whooping $22M.

Cincinnati has a few options if they wish to move on from Moustakas. Release him and absorb the $22M hit, trade him along with some top prospects (similar to the Homer Bailey trade in 2018), or swap Moose's 'bad contract' for another. Which three teams could the Reds swap contracts with and what would Cincinnati be receiving in return?

1. Reds could swap Mike Moustakas for Royals' Hunter Dozier.

Let's start out with the positive, shall we? How nice would it be to see Mike Moustakas return to his old stomping grounds in Kansas City? While his production in Cincinnati has made him a pariah among Reds fans, Moustakas is still beloved by the Royals fanbase.

Moose's best years were in KC where he helped lead the franchise to a World Series Championship in 2015. The slugger then took his act to Milwaukee, and produced an All-Star appearance in 2019 before inking a four-year with Cincinnati.

Now what would the Reds receive in return? Quite frankly, not much. Hunter Dozier, who can play both corner infield and outfield spots, has not lived up to the four-year/$25M contract he signed prior to the 2021 season.

Coming off a successful two-year stretch after the 2020 season, Dozier agreed to a contract extension that probably left most of the Kansas City fanbase scratching their heads. Since agreeing to that extension, Dozier has hit just .226/.289/.391.

Here's the hangup with Dozier's deal - it'll go an extra year. Dozier is owed less than Moustakas ($16.25M) over the life of the deal, but his contract contains $9M guaranteed in 2024. Trading Moustakas to Kansas City would lessen the overall financial impact, but Cincinnati would have to hang on to Dozier for an extra year.

2. Reds could swap Mike Moustakas for Blue Jays' Hyun-Jin Ryu.

This would be a serious gamble on the part of the Cincinnati Reds. Hyun-Jin Ryu has not pitched since June of last year. But the Reds showed with the addition of Justin Dunn this past spring that they are unafraid to take on players with such injury history. That said, Dunn wasn't owed $20M.

That's what it would cost to add Ryu to the roster in 2023. The left-hander is under contract through next season. Ryu signed a four-year deal after nearly winning the NL Cy Young Award with the Dodgers in 2019.

Since joining the Toronto Blue Jays, Ryu has posted a 4.07 ERA and struck out 231 batters. But the southpaw has only stepped onto the mound 49 times during his stay in the Great White North. Ryu appeared in just six starts for the Jays before landing on the IL last season. Ryu underwent Tommy John surgery last summer.

Toronto inked Chris Bassitt to a contract this offseason and are rumored to be after former Cincinnati Reds' ace Johnny Cueto. The Blue Jays already had a starting stable of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, and Alek Manoah.

The Blue Jays do not have many left-handed bats in their everyday lineup. Mike Moustakas could, at the very least, act as the team's designated hitter against right-handed pitchers. With Cincinnati in need of depth in the starting rotation, it's at least worth having a conversation.

The question then becomes, with typical recovery time from Tommy John surgery spanning 12-18 months, would Ryu even appear on the mound for the Reds in 2023? With such a risk on the part of the Reds, they'd have to receive more than just Hyun-Jin Ryu in a trade.

3. Reds could swap Mike Moustakas for D-backs Madison Bumgarner.

Madison Bumgarner is far removed from the dominant postseason pitcher that helped guide the San Francisco Giants to three World Series Championships. But the left-hander can still be an effective starter and has pitched over 145 innings during three of the past four seasons.

The Cincinnati Reds need another veteran starter or two. Bumgarner, who'll be entering his 15th big league season in 2023, certainly fits the bill. The southpaw has four All-Star appearances and a World Series MVP to his name.

During his time with the Giants, Bumgarner owned a 3.13 ERA and an ERA+ of 120. Since joining the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, however, Bumgarner has an ERA of 4.98 and an 84 ERA+.

Bumgarner's contract is not as desirable as the aforementioned contracts for Hunter Dozier and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Bumgarner is owed more than Moustakas in 2023 alone, and is signed through the 2024 season as well. Over the next two seasons, Bumgarner is owed $37M.

With that in mind, Cincinnati would need to get creative if the front office chose to swap Mike Moustakas for Madison Bumgarner. Perhaps a highly-coveted prospect could be part of the deal. There's also Bumgarner's no-trade clause to overcome. The lefty may want some added assurances if he agrees to be dealt to the Reds.

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