Royals outfielder Alex Gordon declines option, will become a free agent
For the first time in days, the glee and glory of the Kansas City Royals World Series championship faded into the background briefly among the fanbase. Outfielder Alex Gordon declined his 2016 option, meaning he’ll become a free-agent.
The move shouldn’t really come as a major surprise. The 31-year-old Gordon could have returned to Kansas City on a one-year, $12.5 million option, or he could declare free agency and make close to $100 million over multiple seasons. For anyone following the situation all season, Gordon’s opt out was basically a no-brainer.
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Now that he’s officially hit the market, Gordon should be among the most coveted players available. It took a while for Gordon to get going in the majors, but he’s developed into one of the best outfielders around over the past few seasons. Since 2011, he’s hit .281/.359/.450 while playing exceptional defense in left field.
Gordon will join a fairly strong group of outfielders on the market. Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes are all younger players, but that probably won’t depress the market for Gordon.
In fact, Gordon’s numbers hold up pretty well when compared to that trio.
| Player | PA | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Upton | 4934 | 190 | 10.30% | 24.00% | 0.271 | 0.352 | 0.473 | 121 | 26.5 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | 2435 | 106 | 6.10% | 20.90% | 0.271 | 0.319 | 0.486 | 121 | 15.4 |
| Jason Heyward | 3429 | 97 | 10.80% | 18.50% | 0.268 | 0.353 | 0.431 | 118 | 27.8 |
| Alex Gordon | 4818 | 134 | 9.70% | 20.80% | 0.269 | 0.348 | 0.435 | 113 | 29.7 |
It’s important to note that both Gordon and Upton started their major-league careers before both Heyward and Cespedes, so those two would have higher career WARs. Also, Gordon gets a ton of credit for his exceptional defense, so that boosts his WAR a bit higher than you might expect.
Still, their rate stats are fairly comparable. Gordon walks at a decent clip, strikes out about as much as everyone else here and has posted a nearly identical slash line over his career. That’s pretty impressive, and gives you an idea of why Gordon would want to hit the market. He’s going to make a ton of money.
Now, it will be up to the Royals to see if they can keep him around. Gordon has emerged as the face of the franchise over the last nine seasons. He was a premier prospect when the club was awful, and represented the first real hope for the franchise. While things didn’t work out initially, Gordon played his way back to the majors and established himself as a great left fielder. He’s endeared himself to the Kansas City fans, and it would probably be tough for them to see him go, particularly after winning a World Series title.
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The Royals haven’t been huge spenders in free agency in recent years, but maybe that will change following a championship. Or maybe the team will feel obligated to pay Gordon considering how much he means to the franchise. That hasn’t been the case lately, though, meaning Gordon might be playing elsewhere next season.
Every team that wins the World Series is bound to take some losses in free agency, and the Royals will be no exception. It’s just a shame that, considering all he’s meant to the team, Gordon will likely be the first to go.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
