If recent rumors are to be believed, the Kansas City Royals are out of the running for Alex Gordon, but things seem quite different from the player’s perspective.
Gordon, who has been with the organization since 2005 and made his Major League debut in 2007, rejected a $15.8 million one-year qualifying offer from the Royals, and is reportedly looking for a four-year deal worth $80 million. He also waived his $13.5 million player option to put him in a position to be one of the most sought after players in free agency. With these kind of prices and numbers being mentioned, it does seem like he’s a bit out of the price range for the Royals. He says that there’s no truth to the rumors of his days with the Royals being over.
Gordon needs to hope he’s reading the map right. Daniel Murphy rejected a similar qualifying offer from the New York Mets, waited a bit too long for the team to show some sort of intention they want him long term (although they told him they didn’t) and ended up losing money compared to what he could have gotten had he acted quicker, eventually signing with the Washington Nationals on a $37.5 million, three-year deal.
Gordon seems to be in higher demand than Murphy. He has four gold gloves (2011-2014) and has made the All-Star game three years in a row. He’s in a market that’s good to outfielders, whether they come with powerful bats or excellent defense. Gordon, playing in 104 games last season but not showing signs of an injury bothering him later on in the season and especially the playoffs, hit 13 home runs while batting a .271, his best since 2012.
Whether the Royals sign him or not, Gordon isn’t likely to find himself priced out of the market. There are quite a few teams looking for an outfielder who can play a few positions and Gordon, who has been to a couple of World Series in a row and is turning 32 in February, looks like he’ll be worth the deal he’s asking for in the next three or four years. Being a player of consistency and not momentary flashes, it’s important for the Royals to sign him, but he’ll be a great catch for anyone willing to agree to his terms.