The following article appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal on Sept. 29 – you can read it by clicking here.
It wasn’t that long ago that Kansas City Royals players were all over the field during Major League Baseball’s annual All-Star Game.
This Tuesday night, Whit Merrifield will be the lowly Royals’ lone representative in the midsummer classic. Fans should be glad that if KC is to be represented by just one player, it’s a blue-collar, underdog type like Whit. Overshadowed and underpaid much of his career, Merrifield has faithfully gone about his work (although not without a chip on his shoulder), persevering to become one of the best players in the game.
Coming up just short was Hunter Dozier, who finished second in the popular vote for American League third baseman. Dozier was the leading vote getter among Royals despite missing about a fourth of his team’s games due to injury. Dozier was not selected by American League manager Alex Cora, however, and will have to watch the game from home.
A Former All-Star:
While they celebrate right fielder Merrifield as their lone All-Star, the Royals face a dilemma over what to do with their left fielder, former All-Star Alex Gordon.
Gordon was an All-Star in 2013, 2014 and 2015, when he was one of the best players on one of the best teams in the game. He signed a big contract to remain in Kansas City, then promptly fell off the face of the earth. The Royals were forced into a rebuild, and were shackled to the enormous commitment to Gordon, one they had no choice but to ride out.
Then, shockingly, Gordon started 2019 playing at an All-Star level once again. While continuing to turn in his typically stellar play in left field, the 35-year-old seemed to have found his old form at the plate. In mid-May, Gordon was hitting .299 with eight homers and 12 doubles.
Such a fantastic start to the season forced a question that a year ago would have seemed preposterous: should the Royals put forth the cash to bring back the veteran outfielder in 2020?
The question isn’t whether the Royals should extend Gordon’s current contract for the optional fifth year. Gordon isn’t worth anywhere near the $23 million that deal would call for, just as he hasn’t been worth anywhere near the $20 million they’ve had to pay for his past two mediocre seasons.
But the option does exist to allow his deal to run out, then try to sign him to a much cheaper contract. His leadership and popularity with the fan base certainly hold value. One hangup with that scheme is that Gordon is due a $4 million buyout if the Royals decline to extend him for the fifth season of the deal. So regardless what they would pay him for a new contract, you can tack on $4 million more to the price tag. Such is the economics of baseball.
The new All-Star Merrifield praised Gordon for his work ethic and the way he rebounded from a couple of difficult seasons.
“Some guys are 35 (years old) and some guys are a different 35,” Merrifield said. “He’s a different kind of 35. Not everybody ages the same. That’s a tribute to him and the way he takes care of his body. He’s showing the rest of us that just because you get older doesn’t mean you can’t play this game.”
Merrifield credits recent adjustments by Gordon when asked about the veteran’s recent resurgence.
“Baseball’s a game of constant adaptation,” Merrifield said. “You’ve got to constantly adjust. Guys are adjusting to you, so you’ve got to adjust to them.
“He’s done a great job of that. He had some struggles for a couple of years, with injury and just with baseball finding a way to humble you. But he’s done a great job of continuing to work, and the success he’s having this year is just awesome.”
Gordon told reporters in May that he’s about 60 percent sure he wants to play beyond 2019. He has three children, all under the age of 10, and admits family will weigh heavily in the decision.
Unfortunately, the Royals are in sell mode. With just a few months left in the 2019 season, would the Royals attempt to trade the popular Gordon yet this season to add prospects?
It’s doubtful. As a player with 10 years in the league and five with one team, Gordon has the right to veto any trade.
For that matter, Royals General Manager Dayton Moore probably said all he needed to about the question recently when he told reporters “I couldn’t imagine Alex Gordon in another uniform.”
If the July 31 trade deadline passes and Gordon is still a Royal, then the question becomes will he return at a greatly reduced rate, retire, or move on to another team?
Would the 13-year Royal consider playing elsewhere if the Royals don’t resign him? Chances are he feels similar to Moore on that subject. But millions of dollars and a chance to play for a winner can be mighty persuasive.
Future All Stars:
In addition to contributing one player to the big league All-Star Game, the Royals will also be represented in Sunday’s Futures Game by Double-A pitcher Brady Singer and Single-A pitcher Kris Bubic. Singer is rated #45 on MLB’s list of top 100 prospects. Both are products of the 2018 amateur draft in which the Royals loaded up on college pitchers.
The Royals are making some waves with other top prospects as well. Bobby Witt, Jr., the second player selected in the 2019 amateur draft, played his first games with the Arizona League Royals this past week.
And the Royals further bolstered their farm system when they inked 16-year-old Erick Pena from the Dominican Republic. Pena was the fifth-ranked international prospect available and has been compared to former Royals phenom Carlos Beltran. Giving $3.8 million to a 16-year-old sounds crazy, but hopefully Pena can be the type who rises quickly through the farm system, similar to recent wunderkind Juan Soto, an international prospect who reached the big leagues at 19.