Kansas City Royals to re-sign Alex Gordon to four-year contract
By Tim Haberin
The Kansas City Royals have reached an agreement to re-sign left fielder Alex Gordon. The deal was first reported by Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. Jon Heyman confirms that the contract is for four years and a total of $72 million. It does not contain an opt-out clause.
Retaining Gordon is a nice win for the reigning World Series champions, who did not at all seem like a lock to bring the star outfielder back earlier in the offseason. Only a couple weeks ago the team was reportedly told by Gordon’s camp that it had “no chance” of re-signing him as things stood.
Circumstances apparently changed, and the Royals’ willingness to hand out the richest contract in the organization’s history probably had something to do with it. Gordon seemingly did not lack for suitors on the free agent market. The Chicago White Sox were reportedly interested but were not willing to go more than three years on a deal.
Gordon missed 58 games in 2015 due to a July groin injury that forced him to be carted off the field. He did manage to put up some solid numbers when active, however. The 31-year-old left fielder slashed .271/.377/.432 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 422 plate appearances. His .809 OPS was his best since the 2012 campaign when he put up an .822 mark.
Of course, the year ended on the highest of notes for Gordon and Kansas City, as he helped lead the club to its first championship since 1985. In his biggest postseason moment, Gordon belted a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the World Series. The Royals would go on to defeat the Mets in extra innings, taking a series lead they would never relinquish.
Gordon was drafted by Kansas City second overall in 2005, and he has spent all nine of his big league seasons with the team. The Royals will hope to continue to see reliable production from their left fielder for several more years to come. Gordon owns a .269/.348/.435 career slash line and has averaged 18 homers and 72 RBIs per season over the last five years.
He has also been a consistent defensive asset in left field, accumulating 94 defensive runs saved (DRS) since 2011.
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With Gordon now signed, the other remaining notable names on the outfield market such as Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes may soon come off the board as well.