Kansas City Royals fans okay with not giving Eric Hosmer long-term deal

Eric Hosmer did not re-sign with the Kansas City Royals and instead inked an eight-year deal worth $144 million with the San Diego Padres. Fans seem to be okay with not giving Hosmer that same contract.

Eric Hosmer is going to be the talk of the Kansas City Royals for awhile, even though he’s no longer with the team. There were reports that surfaced after he signed with the Padres that the Royals only offered five years for $100 million.

In that case, why are Royals fans surprised he opted to sign in San Diego? The Padres gave him three extra years (though he can opt out after five) even though the Royals gave him more money per year.

With the final contract being for eight years and $144 million, I was curious if Royals fans wished Dayton Moore had offered the same contract. To find the answer (at least through the most people I could poll in a two-day span), I put a poll up on our Twitter account (@KCKingdomFS).

The majority of fans were glad that the Kansas City Royals did not give Eric Hosmer an eight-year deal for $144 million and I can’t blame them for that. We’ve seen how detrimental large contracts can be for a team, especially when the players don’t live up to the hype (Alex Gordon and Ian Kennedy for example).

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Eric Hosmer is younger than Alex Gordon was when he signed his deal, but what would have happened if the Royals gave Hoz this contract and he flamed out just like Gordon did? That would have tarnished his legacy and fans would have been PISSED.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how it might not be worth it to keep Hosmer in Royal blue. Someone commented that the only reason to keep Hosmer around was for sentimental reasons and I agreed 100%.

I adore Eric Hosmer and all he did for this organization, but when push came to shove, the Kansas City Royals could rebuild without him and save money in the process. Sure, there’s no one at first base now and the vocal leader is now gone, but $144 million is a lot of money and can go toward a lot of other things to help this team rebuild.

Eric Hosmer took the most years he could get and the most money he could get and no one should be angry at him for that. Kansas City Royals fans admitted themselves that they wouldn’t want him on this deal, so why be upset with him for going elsewhere on that contract?

Let’s wish Hosmer the best and move on with the next phase of Kansas City Royals baseball.