Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has a $12.5 million player option for the 2016 season. Based on his performance over the past four seasons, it looks as if he might be heading out of town if he has a good 2015 campaign.
Gordon earned his second consecutive All-Star honors and fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award in 2014. He batted .266/.351/.432/.783 with 87 runs scored, 19 home runs and 74 RBIs, even after playing with discomfort in his right wrist for most of the year. If he continues his success on offense and defense in 2015 he'll likely be in line for a lucrative long-term deal.
"That's a question that honestly doesn't need to be answered right now," Gordon said when asked about picking up his player option, via Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. "Because I don't know the answer right now. I don't know how this year is going to go, or how it's going to look at the end of the year. Honestly, I don't know."
HNGN wrote back in the summer:
"He'll be going on 32 years old after next season, but he should gauge some interest from teams looking for an experienced outfielder. If he has a good year next year, he's likely to strike a deal that will pay him more money annually than his current four-year, $37.5 million contract."
There's no question Gordon will have a shot at earning more than $12.5 million per year in his next contract and/or guarantee himself more years, especially after we saw Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis land solid deals of their own during the offseason. Here were their numbers from 2014 and the contracts they received:
Melky Cabrera - .301/.351/.458 with 81 runs scored, 16 home runs and 73 RBIs in 139 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. Signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Chicago White Sox.
Nelson Cruz - .271/.333/.525 with 87 runs scored, 40 home runs and 108 RBIs in 159 games with the Baltimore Orioles. Signed a four-year, $57 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Nick Markakis - .276/.342/.386 with 81 runs scored, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs in 155 games with the Baltimore Orioles. Signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.
All of these contracts give Gordon hope as well because Cabrera was coming off two seasons that were shortened due to a PED suspension and a number of injuries; Cruz was coming a 50-game PED suspension in 2013; and Markakis had a significant neck injury that the Braves were aware would require fusion surgery.
Although Gordon said he wishes to stay in Kansas City, the team may not have the resources to sign him to a larger deal, since he's already the highest paid player on the team. It'll be interesting to see what happens because Gordon is slated to hit the market along with fellow outfielders Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Austin Jackson, Yoenis Cespedes and potentially Jose Bautista.
Perhaps the Royals may look to trade him if they aren't in the playoff picture come late July to get value in return if it's obvious he'll be declining the player option. We'll see what happens as the season progresses.