Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon Draws League-Wide Interest
By Alec Tilson
Longtime Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon is drawing strong interest around MLB in his first trip through free agency.
The KC Royals and Alex Gordon marriage wasn’t always an easy one. The honeymoon was pretty bad, in fact. Back when Gordon wore jersey No. 7 in 2008, hit for a .247 average and posted a career-low .314 OBP, there were serious concerns about whether there was a future between the two at all.
As of 2010, when Gordon was 26 years old and had already spent five full years in the Royals’ system, he was still splitting time between the major and minor leagues. He played in 75 minor league games in 2010, and when he was called up, he hit for a .215 average.
Of course, we all know how history would have it, and that made those first five or six years of development all the more worth it. So it’s not a surprise now that Gordon is drawing interest from seemingly every team in the Majors in his first opportunity to leverage free agency.
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It’s almost comical the number of teams that are ‘linked’ (officially or unofficially) to Gordon:
- Report: Cubs continuing to be linked to John Lackey, Alex Gordon (Baseball Essential)
- Baltimore Orioles focused on Chris Davis, Alex Gordon (HNGN.com)
- Red Sox Rumors: David Price, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, Alex Gordon… (Sports World Report)
- Giants Hot Stove Report: Alex Gordon (KNBR.com)
Don’t count out them pesky Royals, though – never count out the home team.
Why is it that seemingly every team is willing to pay for Gordon’s services? He’s a sure-handed left fielder, a solid left-handed bat and one of the tireless workers in all of professional baseball. He’s a lead-by-example, proven winner and he’s got four Gold Glove awards since 2011. He’s also a three-time straight All Star.
According to Baseball-Reference, Gordon has made about $41.29 million during his nine seasons as a Kansas City Royals player. He’s set to make about double that once he signs a multi-year deal this offseason, and Royals fans will be nothing but happy for the home-grown Nebraskan.
Alex Gordon gave close to 11 years of his career to the Royals’ organization, and now it’s time for him to reap his rewards. He’s soon-to-be 32 years old, and he brought this baseball-thirsty city a World Series Championship. Wherever he signs – Red Sox, Cubs, Giants, Yankees, Orioles – the Kansas City Royals fan base will thrilled for the veteran.
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No matter what happens in the Alex Gordon sweepstakes, he and his family will be welcomed back to Kauffman Stadium with a red carpet, home cooking and a cold beer – for the rest of his life. Where do you think Gordo ends up when it’s all said and done?