Kansas City Royals: The Alex Gordon question

The 2020 season appeared to be Alex Gordon’s farewell tour. Now, the Kansas City Royals left fielder wants to keep going beyond this year.

Heading into this past offseason, there was no question as to Alex Gordon‘s future. The beloved Kansas City Royals left fielder was either going to return to the only franchise he called home, or he was going to retire. Even if he returned, it was for one final season, allowing the fans a last look at a player who became a favorite.

Gordon eventually returned, signing a one year deal worth $4 million to return to left. After three years of subpar production, Gordon turned in a solid 2019 campaign, producing a .266/.345/.396 batting line, hitting 13 homers and 31 doubles while stealing five bases. He may not have been an All Star caliber player, but Gordon was back to being a useful part of the lineup.

With the layoff due to the pandemic, Gordon has taken more time to think about his future. With baseball having been taken away, he has rethought those retirement plans, instead looking to spend a few more years in the majors as he does not want his career to end on this note.

Gordon has a specific time frame in mind for when he wants to walk away – calling an end to his career after another run in the postseason. Considering that Gordon has also said that he only wants to play for the Royals, and that Kansas City is his home, that time frame is definitely a couple of years away.

It is fair to wonder if the Royals would be interested in having Gordon around for that time period. There was no harm to his returning in 2020; it was to be a rebuilding season and Gordon could serve as a veteran mentor. Along with Salvador Perez and the re-signed Greg Holland, he was a reminder of better days, someone that could show the young roster what it took to be a major leaguer.

With the Royals window of contention expected to open in another two to three years, Gordon may not have much left. His bat had already begun to fade before a resurgence last year. He was still a Gold Glove outfielder, capturing his seventh award and finishing second in the AL with ten runs saved. But will the glove still be there in that time? And more importantly, will the Royals keep him around to find out?

Alex Gordon is not ready to call it a career any longer. One just has to wonder if his career will end with the Kansas City Royals as he desires.