Royals fans been taken on a ride so far in free agency with dueling rumors that beloved left fielder Alex Gordon both will and will not re-sign with Kansas City. We've got a feeling that the roller coaster will end with a bunch of smiling people in trademark KC blue. Here's 3 Reasons Why Alex Gordon With Stay With The Royals.
3. Optimism In The Front Office
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post:
#Royals have not given up on re-signing Alex Gordon. Still waiting for OF market to fully define.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 6, 2015
We can read Kansas City's patience right now one of two ways. Either they're waiting out some potential blockbuster offers for Gordon in order to decide whether or not they want to fully jump into the mix, or they've got a notion that Gordon will accept a hometown discount down the road and want to (respectfully) give him enough space to at least gauge the market.
We're leaning towards the second, considering Gordon has indicated his desire to return and the fact that he's reportedly been the top priority for the Royals all offseason long.
2. A Hole In The Outfield
The price on Ben Zobrist is starting to get exorbitantly high, with potential four-year deals being bandied about in a bidding war which includes teams like the New York Mets who will be willing to break the bank for middle infield stability. Kansas City values Zobrist's flexibility, with rumblings around the club indicating that they would be willing to tab him as a potential Gordon replacement if the price was right.
If Gordon has been #1 for the Royals all along, we'd be silly to think that they won't extend their price range in hopes of maintaining a Gold Glove-caliber presence in left. Unless they make a top-level trade for someone like Carlos Gonzalez, opening the checkbook for Gordon is the most logical option.
1. Kansas City Love
Gordon has been a part of the Royals organization for a decade. He's grown up with this team through the good times and the bad, finding his sea legs over the past five years with four Gold Gloves and three All-Star Game appearances. He's been a integral piece of the Royals' overall foundation since 2005, and you can see every game that he relishes that fact.
Put yourself in his shoes. Anywhere he goes will be an organizational downgrade from the operation in Kansas City. Two straight World Series appearances and a 2015 championship run for the ages, in addition to one of the most loyal fan bases in all of professional sports is hard to walk away from. They're going to meet in the middle. We just know it.
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