Mike Moustakas to Retire as a Kansas City Royal

“Moose” will officially retire as a Kansas City Royal.

On March 3rd, the club announced that Mike Moustakas will sign a ceremonial one-day contract on May 31st, 2025, which will see him end his career in the iconic Royal Blue where it all began for him.

The 36-year-old was drafted second overall by the Royals in 2007 from Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles. It was the perfect pick at the time, and it could have easily gone awry for the Royals considering high-profile picks like catcher Matt Wieters were available, but it would have likely prevented legend Salvador Perez from getting enough game time to develop. Since Moose was 18 at the time, it would take him a good few years to find his way into the starting lineup.

Moustakas debuted in 2011 and it only took four years for him to become an All-Star and a World Series winner. He hit five postseason home runs in 2014 (a franchise record), including a game-winning HR in the ALDS against the Angels. The 2015 World Series was pure Moose magic — he helped the Royals in clutch moments such as his Game 1 RBI off Bartolo Colon and his ninth-inning single in Game 5, which helped spark a 5-run eruption to seal the championship.

His individual performances didn’t peak there. In 2017 he smashed the then-franchise record of 38 home runs, which won him the AL Comeback Player of the Year. The record only lasted two years when Jorge Soler hit 48 home runs to set the new record.

In 2018, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Brett Philips and Jorge Lopez. He would later play for the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Angels — finishing his career with a .247 average, 215 HRs, and 683 RBIs.

Despite this, he remains a Royal at heart.

“This city, this organization means so much to me and my family,” he said in a promotional Royals video.

The Royals actually extended a similar gesture to another 2015 champion — Lorenzo Cain. He received a one-day contract with the Royals on May 6, 2023, and retired in front of an appreciative Kauffman Stadium crowd.