Kansas City Royals: Is Alex Gordon Playing Hard Ball

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

If you read between the lines a little, in reference to Gordon’s latest comments to McCullough, there’s no doubt he wants to remain in Kansas City. He has obviously seen how far this organization has come, believes they’re still capable of getting better, and wants to remain a part of that.

To take it a step farther, how many times do we see ball players in this same scenario that say they’ll talk about a new deal with their respective team until the season starts, but after that there will be no discussion? That’s an attempt to gain leverage, and minimize in-season distraction.

Gordon’s not even doing that. He has said that he’ll talk whenever the Royals want to talk–now or even during the season. That’s yet another sign, to me, that Gordon is simply wanting a longer contract, not necessarily an astronomical contract.

What might that contract look like? I’ll point you to two players. McCullough’s article points to Hunter Pence as a possible contractual comparison. Pence is earning $18.5 million/year through 2018, on what was a five year/$90 million deal.

Baseball-reference.com indicates a player comparison of Shin-Soo Choo to Gordon. Choo signed with the Texas Rangers in 2014 for seven years/$120 million. That averages out to a little over $17 million per year.

All of a sudden, Gordon’s $12.5 million salary looks like a bargain.

Next: Alex Gordon: The Bargain