Bob Lutz: Re-signing Alex Gordon isn’t a no-brainer for the Royals

Dayton Moore had his time to celebrate, but he can’t be emotional now. Not like you Kansas City Royals fans who are ready to sell your cars if that’s what it takes to keep left fielder Alex Gordon in a Royals uniform.

Gordon, who will be 32 on Feb. 10, is a free agent. Four days after soaking in a champagne bath in New York after the Royals won the World Series, he’s no longer a Royal.

Gordon has spent every second of his professional baseball life, all 318,643,200 of them, as a Royal. Gordon signed with the Royals on Sept. 29, 2005, and remained a Royal until Wednesday, when he declined a $12.5 million player option for 2016 and hit Free Agent Highway.

Gordon, a four-time Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder and a cornerstone of Kansas City’s rise from the ashes, is blowing in the wind.

And it’s human nature to toss him an anchor. It’s probably Moore’s inclination to bring Gordon in from the gale and wrap him snugly around a big, new contract.

But following his heart is not in Moore’s job description. He has to be judicious and analytical in how he constructs the Royals’ 2016 roster. And Gordon will be seeking the best deal possible.

How much?

Five years, $90 million?

Four years, $80 million?

The Royals are going to have to think long and hard about this one. Remember, Gordon batted eighth for the Royals during the playoffs as he was battling back from a groin injury that caused him to miss more than 50 games.

Gordon provided one of the postseason’s most dramatic blasts, a one-out, bottom-of-the-ninth, solo homer off of New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia to send Game 1 of the World Series into extra innings – a game the Royals won in 14 innings.

Gordon will be an attractive free agent. Teams will bid for his services.

But should the Royals go all out for a left fielder whose biggest attribute is defense?

I know how most fans will answer that question. I’m not so sure how Moore will.

And if the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that the Royals’ general manager knows what he’s doing when he constructs a roster. He recognizes that the team that represents Kansas City on Opening Day 2016 probably won’t be the one that takes the field Aug. 1.

The Royals have another key free agent in Ben Zobrist, who is more than three years older than Gordon but has more versatility and could even replace Gordon in left field.

And Zobrist, because of his age, isn’t likely to command the number of years and perhaps not even the yearly salary that Gordon will pursue.

Moore and his assistants have numbers to crunch. They can’t dwell on Gordon’s history with the Royals or his past performance. It’s about what they believe Gordon is capable of producing in the future.

And the numbers show a slow decline since Gordon’s peak seasons of 2011 and 2012, his age 27 and 28 seasons.

In 2011, Gordon batted a career-high .303 with 23 homers, 87 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, 45 doubles and an .879 on base plus slugging.

A season later, he batted .294 with 14 homers, 72 RBIs, 51 doubles and an .822 OPS.

In the three seasons since, Gordon’s batting average is .267. He did have an .809 OPS this season, the third-highest of his career. And his glove is still golden.

Gordon is still an outstanding player. Just not as outstanding, perhaps, as he was a few years ago.

And if you look around, you’ll notice that big-league teams are more reliant on young, cost-controlled players than ever. The Royals could decide it makes more sense to lock up first baseman Eric Hosmer (26) and third baseman Mike Moustakas (27). Both are younger than Gordon and just as much a part of the Royals’ core.

That doesn’t mean KC won’t pursue Gordon. It just means it’s not as open and shut as fans think it should be. There are variables.

Kansas City could sign Zobrist, put him in left, and see if Omar Infante can rebound after a down season at second base. That would allow the Royals to perhaps pursue a right fielder.

KC is going to have to reinforce its starting pitching rotation and Moore has been brilliant at bringing in second-tier free agents to augment the staff. And there are bullpen holes to be filled, too, in front of Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis.

There’s no rest for a GM and Moore has work to do. Kansas City’s payroll, which was $112.8 million in 2015, ranked No. 17 in the majors. The Royals are no longer paupers, but they’re not the Yankees or Dodgers, either.

Gordon is a tough call. Not for those of you who are assessing this situation with your hearts. You want him signed, whatever it takes.

You’re dealing with play money.

Moore isn’t.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Re-signing Alex Gordon isn’t a no-brainer for the Royals."