It's no secret the Kansas City Royals and outfielder Alex Gordon would like to reunite. However, the MLB is a business, and at the end of the day the market may not let it happen.
And if the rumors are true about the Royals giving him weak offers, it definitely won't happen.
"Gordon would like to return to the Royals, but they're lowballing him with a four-year offer in the $12-$13 million per year range," writes ESPN's Jim Bowden. "The market is sure to take him to five years with an A.A.V. much closer to $18 million, and now that Heyward has landed, the market is picking up for Gordon."
Gordon, 32, signed a four-year, $37.5 million contract extension before the 2012 season and made $12.5 million in his final year of the deal. If the Royals are truly offering him a deal in the four-year, $50 million range, there is almost no way he'd accept it.
You mean to tell me they're offering Gordon less than what 34-year-old Ben Zobrist got from the Chicago Cubs (four years, $56 million)?
"The Royals have made it a priority to try to keep star lefty fielder Alex Gordon," adds Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "But so far the sides appear to have a sizable gap in talks. Word is, the Royals made a four-year offer, but Gordon's camp is believed to consider it a proposal that's too great a hometown discount, and has sent back discouraging words about the initial try. Gordon is thought to seek a deal closer to $20 million annually, but the Royals may view that figure as far too rich for their blood, even with added flexibility "
Experts have pegged him in the $90-$100 million range, as you can see below:
Bowden - five years, $90 million
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports - five years, $100 million
Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com - five years, $105 million
Gordon led the team in WAR from 2011-2014 and is arguably the best defensive left fielder in the MLB. If the Royals keep messing around with these rumored offers, it's more than likely Gordon will sign elsewhere, as plenty of big market clubs such as the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels are looking for a left fielder and could easily out-bid Kansas City.
However, the Royals are seemingly lucky at this point because the market for outfielders is largely undeveloped.
There's been an outcry on Twitter about Gordon potentially signing with the Cardinals, as Royals fans are concerned with that being a scenario if Kansas City doesn't take care of their incumbent free agent as soon as possible.
Shaun Newkirk of the Royals Review laid out some WAR projections and values for Gordon over the next five years. His analysis shows Gordon is worth over $100 million in a best-case scenario and about $68 million in a worst-case scenario.
The Royals are not a big market team, but they've enjoyed considerable revenue over the past two years during their back-to-back World Series runs. With that being said, there's an issue with the 2017 payroll. That number could reach $140 million depending on how they handle contract options and players eligible for arbitration.
Wade Davis, Edinson Volquez, Kendrys Morales, Alcides Escobar, Luke Hochevar, Salvador Perez and Kris Medlen are among the players with increasing team options and Mike Moustakas, Danny Duffy, Kelvin Herrera, Eric Hosmer and others will be among those due for a raise in arbitration.
However, their payroll for 2016 is expected to reach just $113 million, which is just about the same as their 2015 payroll. The 2017 could pose a problem in terms of figuring out the financials for Gordon, but 2016 won't.
The Royals must pay the man or they'll probably take an enormous step back next year.
