Andrew McCutchen Extension With Pirates Gives Clarity To Alex Gordon Contract Situation

The Kansas City Royals will have the services of left fielder Alex Gordon for one more year, but what will it take to lock up the talented player beyond that?

Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports reports that the 28-year-old former No. 2 overall draft pick is likely to command a hefty price tag following the 2012 season, but retaining him is not necessarily out of the realm of possibility for Kansas City.

Gordon might not command $100 million - his track record is shorter than those of Zimmerman, Braun and Tulowitzki. But he almost certainly will want more than $55 million, the previous club record shared by Gil Meche and Mike Sweeney.

Negotiations for an extension are in the early stages, but expected to intensify later this spring, major-league sources say.

The Royals might prefer to wait and see if Gordon can repeat his stellar 2011 season. But by next off-season, Gordon will be only one year away from free agency and perhaps more eager to test the open market.

Rosenthal notes that Royals GM Dayton Moore has Gordon and designated hitter Billy Butler in mind as the core of the team's future, but retaining them both will likely prove to be costly.

For more on the Kansas City Royals be sure to check out Royals Review. For more news and analysis on Major League Baseball head on over to SB Nation's MLB page Baseball Nation.

Another day, another young outfielder extended. First it was the San Diego Padres locking up Cameron Maybin over the weekend with a five-year extension. Then came the news this morning that Andrew McCutchen had inked a six-year deal to stay with the Pittsburgh Pirates long-term. Through it all, Alex Gordon remains with the Royals for one more year and fans can only hope they ink the same sort of extension with their left fielder.

McCutchen’s deal gives clarity to what the Royals can expect to have to pay for Gordon, even though the circumstances are different.Steve Adams of MLBTR writes, “McCutchen’s contract buys out his final pre-arbitration year, all three arbitration years, and a pair of free agent seasons with a club option for another. All told, the Buccos now control their young superstar through the 2018 season.”

That’s different than Gordon’s predicament since he is further along in Major League service time than McCutchen. Gordon, in other words, is bound to make more money given his veteran status.

David Lesky of Pine Tar Press notes via Twitter, “McCutchen’s deal does help out the Gordon numbers a bit, but Pitt buys out 4 years of team control rather than the 2 the #Royals will be.” He goes on to say, “That said, I’ll stick by my prediction of 5 years, $60 million for Gordon with a sixth year option for $15 million”.

McCutchen is likely to end up the better player, but KC could have offered a more favorable extension to the team back when Gordon was younger. Then again, they had no reason to since Gordon had yet to showcase why he was considered a top prospect in the first place until his breakout season in 2011.

Maybe that’s why the Royals are dragging their feet on this to make sure Gordon is still swinging sweetly in 2012, but if he walks, it will reflect poorly on a team that should be locking up its assets for long-term competition.

The Kansas City Royals locked up two of their corner infielders for their 2012 campaign as they have signed Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas to one-year deals on Saturday, per a report from Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.

Hosmer and Moustakas will start the season as starters for Ned Yost's baseball club. Hosmer was in the running for AL Rookie of the Year honors last year as he finished with a .293 average with 19 home runs and 78 RBI's in 128 games played. Hosmer finished 3rd in the AL's top rookie honor voting behind Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels and winner Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Moustakas was the 2nd overall selection by the Royals in the 2007 MLB draft and had his contract purchased on June 9, 2011. Moustakas finished his 2011 season with five homers and 30 RBIs in 89 games played.

The Royals were also successful in signing center fielder Lorenzo Cain and right-handed pitcher Luis Mendoza to one-year deals as well. Cain is projected to start this season while Mendoza will fight for a spot in the rotation.

For more on the Kansas City Royals be sure to check out Royals Review. For more news and analysis on Major League Baseball head on over to SB Nation's MLB page Baseball Nation.

The Kansas City Royals enjoyed a significant amount of forward progress in the 2011 season. The team is hoping that they can continue that success over the next couple of years under the continued guidance of manager Ned Yost.

Dick Kaegel of the offcial Royals website reports that the team has exercised the 2013 option on Yost's contract, ensuring that the manager will be heading up the club for the next two seasons. Yost commented on his return from the Royals spring training complex in Arizona.

It was real exciting seeing them all get to the big leagues last year, and then watching them play together and watching the way they finished up was real impressive to me.

What I like about this job is absolutely everything. I love the city, I love the ballpark. The ownership with the Glasses is phenomenal. Our front office is top-notch, our player development is top tier ... and these young players are a phenomenal group of talented young guys with awesome makeup. So there are really no downsides to this job at all -- none.

Royals GM Dayton Moore had plenty of praise for Yost.

Ned brings a professionalism, an intensity level, a passion to win each day. He does an incredible job of motivating players and an incredible job of leading.

There's a strong sense of respect that players have for Ned. He keeps that line drawn for a manager-player relationship, and I think it's a healthy relationship that exists -- it's one of respect and control, and Ned has certainly done a tremendous job in creating an atmosphere in the clubhouse that's conducive to winning.

Royals fans who enjoyed Yost's managerial style and the energy he brought to the team the last two seasons can look forward to the next two years as his young team continues to get stronger.

For more on the Kansas City Royals be sure to check out Royals Review. For more news and analysis on Major League Baseball head on over to SB Nation's MLB page Baseball Nation.

The Kansas City Royals have made it clear that improving their pitching staff will be a major priority during the offseason. Royals general manager Dayton Moore has done well thus far, he acquired lefthanded starter Jonathan Sanchez and prospect Ryan Verdugo for Melky Cabrera via a trade. Moore also signed reliever Jonathan Broxton to a one-year deal to shore up the bullpen.

Of course, every pitching staff could use a front-line starter that can eat up innings and have the stuff to strike people out when necessary. Is the answer for the Royals conundrum A.J. Burnett?

Joel Sherman believes that the Royals could be potential suitors for Burnett, along with their division rival Cleveland Indians.

My GUESS on other 2 teams is #Royals #Indians. Cle could defray some $ by dealing LH DH Hafner: owed about 15M for '12 plus '13 buyout (con)

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 12, 2012

Burnett has two years left off of his deal with $33 million owed to him remaining from his 5-year, $82.5 million deal that he signed back in 2008 as a free agent. With Gil Meche retiring and Jeff Francis not expected to return after losing 16 games, Burnett might not be ideal but could provide some stability to a rotation rounding into form in 2012.

For more on the Kansas City Royals be sure to check out Royals Review. For more news and analysis on Major League Baseball head on over to SB Nation's MLB page Baseball Nation.

The Kansas City Royals have come to and agreements with 12 players for one-year major league contracts:

The Kansas City Royals reached an agreement with left fielder Alex Gordon on a reported one-year, $4.8 million dollar deal. Gordon hit .303 last season with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs for the Royals. By agreeing to the one-year deal, the Royals and Gordon avoid having to go to an arbitration hearing.

Initially Gordon had requested a salary of $5.45 million in arbitration while the Royals were offering $4.15 million. The two sides found some middle ground on the $4.8 million figure. With a one-year deal now done, the two sides are expected to continue working on a long-term deal.

Royals GM Dayton Moore has never had a player go to an arbitration hearing since arriving with the Royals in June of 2006.

For more on Alex Gordon and the Kansas City Royals be sure to check out Royals Review. For more news and analysis on Major League Baseball head on over to SB Nation's MLB page Baseball Nation.

Should they or shouldn’t they?

While most Kansas City Royals fans are wondering when the team is going to lock-up Alex Gordon for the long haul, it’s important to note that it wasn’t that long ago that he was considered a bust. As recently as 2010, Alex Gordon hit .215 and slugged only .355 that led to a miserable .671 OPS on the year. While 2011 was a revelation of a season and one that deserves celebrating, it’s not unreasonable to believe that doubts could still exist on the part of the team’s front office as they consider whether to sign Gordon to a long-term deal or not.

Last year, of course, Gordon was the Royals most valuable player. While other hitters like Eric Hosmer made good on their top prospect status, even his numbers couldn’t touch Gordon’s strong season across the board. Given a full year’s worth of plate appearances and coming into his own at 27 years of age, Gordon finally became the major league hitter most believed he would become.

Specifically Gordon hit .303 with an .879 OPS and finished No. 21 in the MVP voting for the American League. He also won a Gold Glove award for the first time. He hit 23 home runs and stole 17 bases and now that he’s entering his prime years, he could potentially be an anchor in both the outfield and the heart of the order.

But what if he doesn’t fully blossom? What if he falls back even a bit to more moderate status? The millions he will demand for a long-term contract could become an anchor on a team that’s been positioning itself for a certain stretch run with a certain financial picture to follow with so many prospects on the way. To lock up Gordon to millions knowing that other options could be coming could offset the franchise’s plans.

But those looking at Gordon’s metrics for next season and beyond believe the Royals will be just fine if they lock him up for the long haul. Steve Garrity of Rant Sports writes:

Will Alex Gordon regress in 2012? Putting everything together a lower batting average is basically assured – .275-.280, but his higher contact rate, lower strike out rate and improvement across the board power wise including a .200 isolated power average, 40 points above his career average (slugging – batting average) – Bill James suggest changes in isolated power take on meaning around 550 plate appearances, Gordon had 688- suggest he should be able to put up similar numbers to what he did in 2011.

David Golebiewski over at Fangraphs believes that Gordon might settle down a bit after a breakout last season, but he also believes the Royals have no reason to worry:

Alex Gordon won’t turn back into a pumpkin in 2012. His contact and power gains, as well as his sneaky-good wheels, make him a good bet for a .270-.280 average, an OBP in the .350s a slugging percentage north of .450 and 15 or so steals. But what you have to ask yourself is, how high of a pick are you willing to pay for production that might be similar to Michael Cuddyer circa 2011? Gordon is a quality player, but he’s in a bigger pool of talent now as an outfielder and won’t come cheap with fond memories of 2011 close at hand and his previous prospect pedigree. You’ll never hear the word bust associated with Gordon again, but superstar would be stretching it, too.

While Wil Myers is on the way, the other corner where Jeff Francoeur currently plays is the likely place where he will settle. Another power bat like Bubba Starling is years away and the Royals have no obvious contender for Gordon’s spot in the line-up or outfield if they were to let him go or trade him. Locking up Gordon now looks like the team’s best, and surest, bet.