Left fielder Alex Gordon declined his $14 million player option, the club passed on a $12.5 million mutual option on right fielder Alex Rios and the Royals turned down a $10 million mutual option on right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, the team announced Wednesday.
Advertisement
The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award victor will be a hot commodity this winter.
And it’s human nature to toss him an anchor.
Fire Chief Paul Berardi said about 20 additional ambulances from surrounding communities were brought in to help and 40 to 50 people were transported for conditions that included cardiac arrest, head injuries and crowd-related anxiety. The Royals are not expected to spend big in free agency this offseason, but they likely at least will talk to Gordon and see what he is looking for before deciding to push hard to keep him or not. Though not an ace, Zimmermann is as good a number-two option in Major League Baseball staffs as anyone, and should serve as a valuable target for teams to chase once Greinke, Price and Cueto have inked new deals. The Royals’ legacy will be that they fully exploited the strategy the past two years, reinforcing the trend. And if Syndergaard is proved right, New York handing Games 1, 4 and 5 to Kansas City the way it did in 2015, might be viewed years from now as only the beginning of a long run of success, with several repeat trips to the World Series, and perhaps multiple world titles for the Mets. Teams will bid for his services. Apparently, shortstop Wilmer Flores caught wind that he had been traded during the game and began conjuring tears while out on the field playing defense. I could go on and on about how much I love Gordo, but with that said, he deserves to get a long term contract if that’s what he desires.
General Manager Dayton Moore and Manager Ned Yost were due to speak to reporters Thursday.
It’s been a season of highs for die-hard Kansas City Royals fan Brian Fragel. He looms as the most momentous free-agent decision for the Royals, who are also interested in re-signing super-utility man Ben Zobrist. But to stay here, he would have to take such a smaller contract that Moore and his assistants know they need to make other plans.
Gordon had an excellent season for the Royals in 2015.
Obviously, the Phils didn’t participate in this year’s playoffs, and they probably won’t for the foreseeable future. 809 on-base plus slugging percentage.
A season later, he batted. 329 batting average, one home run and nine RBI. He did have an.
The Mets could also have their captain, David Wright, back at third base for a full season (unlike most of 2015).
Gordon is still an outstanding player. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry, scream or be speechless. The length of a deal will be a sticking point, as younger outfielders in Jason Heyward and Justin Upton will command more years. It just means it’s not as open and shut as fans think it should be. Alex Gordon represents something that only comes along once every few generations in Kansas City.
Advertisement
The $25 million in raises includes contract raises for players like Edinson Volquez, Wade Davis, and Eric Hosmer, as well as estimated raises through arbitration for players like Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and Danny Duffy. The Royals are no longer paupers, but they’re not the Yankees or Dodgers, either. Not for those of you who are assessing this situation with your hearts.
