KC Royals: Alex Gordon hopes to see a few more years

The KC Royals veteran outfielder hopes to continue patrolling the fields of Kauffman for a few more years before riding off into the sunset.

With the KC Royals not playing baseball at the moment, many are left wondering what the possibility of a limited, or no season will do to certain aspects of the game. For players that signed one year contracts, their time with the respective teams may come to an end before playing a game in uniform.

One player that comes to mind for the Kansas City Royals is veteran Alex Gordon. Gordon was the subject of many ponderings over the offseason as there were questions about whether or not he would return for more time in the canyon that is the Kauffman Stadium outfield.

Gordon had made comments about the possibility of returning, but also a chance at retirement. There were a lot of unknowns as Gordon typically keeps his cards close, but the Royals ultimately signed him to a 1 year deal.

While it may not have been much of a surprise to many fans, the way this has season played out may have been. For some, it was assumed that the 2020 season, Gordons age 36 season, could be his last. One more small contract with little pressure, allowing him to go out on a high note and ride off into the sunset after a year long farewell tour.

With Gordon, though, one should never assume they know the ultimate plan. In a recent interview with Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star, Gordon made clear his intentions for the future, stating, “I’ll tell you I definitely don’t want to end like this.”

Gordon continued on, mentioning that he would like to play multiple seasons, and even stick around to see the playoffs again in a Royals uniform. Gordon believes that there are parts of this team that can form a playoff team and sees some similarities to the previous championship teams he was a part of.

In 2019, Gordon slashed .266/.345/.396 adding 77 runs and 76 RBIs while also providing Gold Glove defense. The numbers may not be up to what some would want, but they did show a great deal of improvement over the previous few years.

Gordon sticking around for a few more years might not be such a bad thing for the Royals. There seems to be a bit of a log jam in the outfield, but with the future likely being set up for the younger players in the minors, Alex sticking around in left gives time for players like Khalil Lee and Kyle Isbel to develop a bit further.

On top of that, Gordon is no longer eating up a great deal of the payroll. His monster contact is done and he will likely be happy with shorter, much less expensive contracts if it means he gets to continue his time in a Royals uniform.

If Gordon is correct and with a few more years this team can see the postseason, keeping him around may just be worth it. His veteran presence will be great for young players, especially with the strange 2020 “season” that is before us. As long as he is not standing in the way of the future for the team, it’s likely Gordon will stick around a little while longer.