Kansas City Royals: Storylines to follow in 2019 offseason
WILL GORDON RETIRE?
The conclusion of the 2019 season meant that Alex Gordon‘s four-year contract with the organization was up. Gordon, who inked the largest deal in franchise history after the Royals won the World Series, struggled through the first three years of the deal, but bounced back in his fourth and final year of the contract.
The bounce back could be enough for Gordon to return in 2020, but if he did, it’d have to be on a negotiated one-year deal. The Royals would be wise to decline the $23 million option, let Gordon hit free agency, and then bring him back on a one or two year deal.
Alex Gordon is leaving in the middle of the inning now. He is getting a HUGE cheer and ovation from the crowd as he jogs in. Could be his last game but we don't know yet. He gave a hat tip coming off
— Cody Tapp (@codybtapp) September 29, 2019
At the same time, however, Gordon will turn 36 years old in February, so he’s no spring chicken by any means. That could most definitely play into his decision to retire and if he does, he’s earned it.
While the Royals are fixating mostly on their younger players and figuring out who is going to be here when the wins start to pile up, Gordon returning for at least one more year might be nice for such a young group of players.
Who knows when the World Series champion will make his final decision, but whatever Gordon’s decision ends up being, Royals fans will always remember him fondly.