The 2018 Milwaukee Brewers are one of the most beloved teams in recent memory among fans. They made the postseason for the first time since 2011, and like that 2011 team made it all the way to the National League Championship Series. Unfortunately, the 2018 team lost that series 4-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Not only have the Brewers not been back in the NLCS since, they also have not won a playoff series since that run.
Of course, that 2018 team was filled with star players who had some of the best years of their career. Christian Yelich was the NL MVP that year after hitting .326/.402/.598 with 36 home runs, 110 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. First baseman Jesus Aguilar made his only career All-Star team, hitting .274/.352/.539 with 35 home runs and 108 RBI.
Travis Shaw, Milwaukee’s third baseman at the time, hit .241/.345/.480 with 32 home runs and 86 RBI. Lorenzo Cain, in his first season back with the team that originally drafted him, hit .308/.395/.417 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI, and 30 stolen bases.
The Milwaukee Brewers Added Mike Moustakas at the 2018 MLB Trade Deadline
Despite such a loaded lineup, which also included an aging Ryan Braun who still hit .254/.313/.369 with 20 home runs and 64 RBI, the Brewers did have one big hole in their lineup: second base.
Jonathan Villar was not getting one base as much as Milwaukee wanted and needed him to, so they decided to go after one of the biggest names on the trade market that year: Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals.
The Brewers sent Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez to the Royals for Moustakas, who was already a two-time All-Star and World Series Champion. Milwaukee slid Shaw to second base while Moustakas played third.
In 54 games with the Brewers that year, he hit .256/.326/.441 with eight home runs and 33 RBI, but it was his walk-off single in Game One of the NLDS that etched his name into team lore:
Following the 2018 season, Moustakas decided to return to the Brewers on a one-year contract. Playing in 143 games, he hit .254/.329/.516 with 35 home runs and 87 RBI. That was also the year that he made his third and final career All-Star team.
Former Milwaukee Brewers Infielder Mike Moustakas Has Announced His Retirement
Following his one-and-a-half year stint with the Brewers, Moustakas signed with the Cincinnati Reds. In three seasons with them, he hit just .216/.300/.383 while battling multiple injuries. He played in just 183 games during those three seasons.
In 2023, Moustakas split time with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels, hitting .247/.293/.392 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI.
After not playing in the Majors at all in 2024, he again went unsigned this offseason. On Monday, he decided to announce his retirement from MLB:
Mike Moustakas has retired after 13 seasons, three All-Star selections, and a 2015 #WorldSeries championship with the @Royals.
The team will sign Moustakas to a ceremonial one-day contract on May 31, allowing the former All-Star third baseman to retire with Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/Ftw2ngnvq5
— MLB (@MLB) March 4, 2025
As seen in the post above, Moustakas will sign a one-day contract with Kansas City so that he can retire a Royal, the team he spent the most time and had the most success with.
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