KC Royals Have “No Chance” to Retain Alex Gordon

It looks as though the KC Royals are going to need a Festivus Miracle to retain Alex Gordon.

The KC Royals have quite a bit of competition when it comes to their hopes of retaining Alex Gordon. Numerous other teams have checked in on the Royals free agent left fielder, but as teams have dropped out of the running, it appeared as though the Royals could have a chance to bring the face of the franchise back.

Unfortunately, that no longer seems to be the case. According to Jon Heyman, the Royals have been told by Gordon’s representation that they have “no chance” of bringing him back. It is thought that the offer that the Royals made, at four years and between $12 to $13 Million per, is simply not going to be enough.

Given that Gordon is looking for a $20 Million a year payday, that is quite the substantial gap. With plenty of other teams possibly willing to come closer to that desired salary, the Royals would certainly need to increase their offer in order to bring Gordon back. At this point, their offer does not even appear to be close to competitive.

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Yes, things can change over the next few weeks, or even day to day. However, the Royals do have a number of holes that they are looking to fill on their roster, including another starting pitcher and their bullpen. Given that the Royals payroll is not expected to change substantially, and Gordon seemingly uninterested in giving the Royals a discount, it may be that someone else is manning left next season.

It was expected at the start of free agency that, for the Royals to retain Gordon, they would need to break their franchise record five year, $55 Million contract handed out to Gil Meche and Mike Sweeney. If any player on the Royals deserves to have that label as the highest paid player in team history, it may well be Gordon. Considering what he has meant to the franchise, and how his own remarkable turnaround has mirrored that of the Royals, Gordon may be one of the more indispensable players on the team.

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The KC Royals are truly in danger of losing their star left fielder. Unless the Royals change their offer by quite a bit, or Alex Gordon’s expected market is not there, there really does not appear to be a chance that he will be their starting left fielder next season.