Mike Moustakas Trade Rumors: Red Sox, Braves Join Yankees as Interested Teams

The Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees are all in the running for Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

Per that report, "there's enough of a market for Moose that it's more likely than not the Royals deal him this month."

Manny Machado's status looms over any trade talks around baseball, however.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Royals likely "will have to wait until Machado gets dealt first. Manny could be the domino that starts a number of things in motion."

Machado is the bigger fish and the better player, but Moustakas would still be a nice consolation prize for teams unwilling to meet the Baltimore Orioles' asking price. The 29-year-old is hitting .249 with 19 homers and 58 RBI this season, and the shortstop would provide solid pop for a team looking to add an upgrade at the hot corner, his position last season.

The Red Sox and Yankees are currently jostling for first place in the AL East, with Boston holding a 4.5-game lead over New York. Neither team particularly needs the upgrade necessarily from an offensive standpoint—the Red Sox lead baseball in runs (530), while the Yankees are third (498)—but adding another dangerous bat could set either team apart from the other.

Atlanta, meanwhile, is trying to catch the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, trailing them by just 0.5 games. The Braves are eighth in runs scored (456) but tied for 18th in homers (101). Adding a power bat like Moustakas would certainly make sense for Atlanta.