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MLB’s free agency market for outfielders seemed to be stuck in time for a moment there. Now the floodgates should burst open thanks to the Kansas City Royals’ historic re-signing of Alex Gordon.
Several sources announced earlier today that Gordo will pen a four-year, $72 million contract, which will be the largest contract in Royals history.
We can now add Gordon to the list of reliable core players who will be in KC through at least 2017, which should all but ensure the franchise’s legitimacy over this two-year stretch. In my opinion, and I cannot be alone, this move makes the Royals the definitive favorites to win the AL Central. They filled the biggest hole on the roster with the best solution available. All sentimentality for the deservedly beloved Gordo aside, this is a good baseball move and a wisely structured contract. What does it mean about KC’s budget moving forward, though?
The Royals have reportedly back-loaded Gordon’s new contract to leave extra room on payroll for this offseason. One would assume KC will spend that money on a starting pitcher, and who that starter will be immediately becomes the new grand mystery for Royals fans to ponder. Nobody knows how much owner David Glass plans to spend now that his club is the world’s best, so we’re left wondering whether he’s aiming for the Mat Latos tier or the Wei-Yin Chen tier. We’ll dive deeper into that conversation as the offseason continues, but at this point, I’d actually rather see Glass spend less now and more later to stabilize the future.
Speaking of the Royals’ future, this deal doesn’t bode well for KC’s possibilities of signing Eric Hosmer, or any of the other core players whose contracts expire before the 2018 season starts. That frighteningly long list includes Lorenzo Cain, Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, Danny Duffy, Wade Davis and Jarrod Dyson.
Signing Gordo for the next four seasons signifies GM Dayton Moore’s desire to go all-out in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. This turn of events could put KC’s minor league talent under extra pressure to quickly bridge the gap between rebuilds, but now is absolutely not the time to worry about rebuilding. Right now, Royals fans know they have at least two years of really good baseball to enjoy before those problems manifest themselves.
For most fans in Crown Town, that’s never happened in their lifetimes.
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