It’s well known that the Kansas City Royals would love to keep Alex Gordon, but right now, it seems more likely he’ll end up playing somewhere else. The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox could be better positioned to sign the All-Star left fielder.
Gordon has made the All-Star game three years in a row, has won four consecutive gold gloves (2011-2014) and just came off helping steering the Royals towards a World Series ring. He made $12.5 million last season and at almost 32, coming off another consistent season in terms of hitting, he’s looking to make a lot of money on what should be the final big deal he ever signs.
The Royals are keeping Gerrard Parra on the back burner, waiting for Gordon to come around, but the price differences are just too high. The Cardinals seem to be the team with the right kind of spending power to land Gordon among those interested, while the White Sox might have to pull off a trade (Adam LaRoche?) in order to free up some money to compete for Gordon.
Going after Gordon for anyone but the Royals means losing a draft pick, but the White Sox do have a protected first rounder which means it won’t be a painful thing to give up as it would be for others. Teams don’t seem to be too worried about Gordon missing two months of baseball last season because of a groin injury. While he wasn’t hitting and blasting on all cylinders during the postseason, he didn’t seem too bothered by it all en route to a championship.