The deal came on the heels of reports in recent weeks of the Royals having "no chance" of re-signing Gordon under the present conditions -- presumably meaning the team's first offer.
But MLB.com has learned that negotiations began to heat up last week, and the two sides were mostly in agreement on Monday, pending a few contract details.
Multiple reports have indicated the deal is for four years at $72 million. That would eclipse the previous record for a Royals player contract -- Mike Sweeney and Gil Meche each had five-year, $55 million deals with Kansas City during their careers.