It's hard to figure out just where the Kansas City Royals stand with free-agent left fielder Alex Gordon. A few days back, Gordon's representation reportedly told the team that they have "no chance" to re-sign him with the current financial gap in negotiations.
However, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported yesterday that Gordon wants to return to the World Series champs -- no matter how bleak the situation looks right now with the two sides separated by $6-7 million in talks.
If Gordon finds $20 million or more per year elsewhere, he could be headed out of town. However, there's a big name floated recently by MLB.com's Jim Duquette who could provide a replacement if the Royals are willing to swing a trade -- Cincinnati Reds slugger Jay Bruce.
"The Royals need a left-handed-hitting outfielder to replace Alex Gordon, who looks like he will price himself out of Kansas City. Further, the Royals currently have Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando penciled in right field and left field, which suggests they will make an upgrade in at least one of those spots. Enter Bruce, an already-proven commodity who could hit in the middle of the Royals' lineup and provide power to a mostly contact-oriented lineup. Also, Bruce comes with a reasonable salary of $12.5 million for this season plus a $13 million club option for 2017."
A deal for Bruce would likely cost the Royals two of these three top prospects: RHP Ashe Russell, RHP Miguel Almonte, and/or OF Bubba Starling. The Reds are familiar with Kansas City's farm system in the wake of the Johnny Cueto trade this summer, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that the teams have maintained contact about future opportunities since that deal.
The lefty-swinging Bruce, 28, posted a substandard .226/.294/.434 slash line in 580 at-bats last season. His sub-30% on-base rate is a red flag, but his 26 home runs and 87 RBI last year could be enough for the Royals to overlook his other at-the-plate deficiencies.
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