The Kansas City Royals have kept left fielder Alex Gordon on the top of their priority list for the entire offseason, but the $6-7 million gap between the franchise and Gordon in negotiations appears to be too much to overcome.
"The Royals have been told by Alex Gordon's camp that, as things currently stand, they have "no chance" to retain star left fielder Alex Gordon, sources said. Things obviously can change in free agency, but it's clear at this point that there's at least a wide gap in talks regarding the longtime Royals outfielder."
The Royals are currently offering in the neighborhood of $12-13 million over the course of a four-year deal while the 31-year-old outfielder's representation is said to be aiming for the $20 million per ballpark.
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Heyman notes that the Royals are currently considering Denard Span, Austin Jackson and Gerardo Parra as potential free-agent replacements, with their own free agent, Alex Rios, also on the list. Other names that have been connected to the team in recent days include Shane Victorino and Marlon Byrd.
In other news, the Royals are remaining diligent about finding a free-agent starting rotation fit, with Wei-Yin Chen reportedly topping the team's list. However, Chen''s agents are telling teams that the lefty is looking for a six-year deal in excess of $100 million -- a length and total value that the Royals are unlikely to play ball with.
Other names on the team's target list include Yovani Gallardo, Scott Kazmir and Ian Kennedy. The Royals have been connected to Kazmir in negotiations for weeks now.
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