Mike Moustakas Traded to Brewers for Brett Phillips, Jorge Lopez

Mike Moustakas' time in Kansas City has come to an end just days before Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.    

The Milwaukee Brewers announced Saturday that they have acquired the 29-year-old from the Royals in exchange for minor leaguers Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez.

Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com first reported the news.

Moustakas had been a member of the Kansas City organization since the Royals took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft. He leaves town having piled up a .251 batting average, 139 home runs and 441 RBI in 934 games in his seven-plus seasons with the Royals and ranking eighth in franchise history in long balls.

When it drafted Moustakas, Kansas City was trying to break a playoff drought that had lasted more than two decades. It took some time, but the core of Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain eventually snapped it in 2014. One year later, they helped raise the club's second World Series banner.

Unfortunately for Royals fans, the core became too expensive to keep. Cain and Hosmer left in free agency during the offseason, while Moustakas eventually returned after having a tough time on the open market. He turned down a $17.4 million qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com, and wound up signing a one-year, $6.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2019.

Moustakas will now change uniforms for the first time in his career and have the opportunity to jump right into a pennant race. With six home runs in 31 career postseason games, he has proved he can come through in big moments.

Milwaukee boldly boosted its outfield during the offseason by acquiring Christian Yelich and Cain. While those moves helped establish the Brewers as contenders, they find themselves in a battle in the National League Central.

They hope adding an All-Star and a champion like Moustakas can put them over the top.

Travis Shaw (19 home runs) has provided pop at the hot corner, but Moustakas is a more established player. The Brewers can shift Shaw to second to give themselves one of the most powerful infields in baseball, with Moustakas and first baseman Jesus Aguilar (25 home runs) also bringing the lumber. They could use Shaw at first and in the outfield as well.

Milwaukee was in the Manny Machado sweepstakes before the Baltimore Orioles shipped the All-Star to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Machado was the prize of the deadline, Moustakas can be a game-changer as well.