Report: Moustakas' early asking price scared off teams

An aggressive contract demand earlier this winter may be the reason Mike Moustakas remains on the market.

Moustakas, who is represented by Scott Boras, reportedly received interest at the beginning of the offseason, but teams were scared off after they heard his asking price, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The two-time All-Star is coming off the best season of his seven-year career, which is likely why he made his demand so high. Across 148 games, Moustakas hit .272/.314/.521 with 38 home runs, 24 doubles, and 85 RBIs.

Moustakas' remaining market is relatively unknown. The Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants needed a third baseman at the beginning of the offseason, but opted to go other routes. That leaves the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, and the Baltimore Orioles as potential landing spots, though none of those teams have been heavily linked to him.

Whichever team signs Moustakas will be forced to surrender a draft pick as compensation after he rejected a qualifying offer from the Royals. The cost of a pick could deter teams from taking him on a one-year deal.