Kansas City has its eye on lefty starter Wei-Yin Chen, as well as fellow free agents Yovani Gallardo and Scott Kazmir. They have also made it a priority to try to keep star left fielder Alex Gordon and have opened extensiion talks with star catcher Salvador Perez.
The Royals like Chen, Gallardo and Kazmir, but might make a push for Chen, probably the top lefty still unsigned. He could represent the biggest outlay ever for the Royals if they were to do it, but in light of their consecutive World Series appearances and Series victory this year, they are said to have some "flexibility."
Meanwhile, the Royals have made it a priority to try to keep Gordon, the life-long Royal. But so far the sides appear to have a sizable gap in talks. Word is, the Royals made a four-year offer, but Gordon's camp is believed to consider it a proposal that's too great a hometown discount, and has sent back discouraging words about the initial try.
Gordon is thought to seek a deal closer to $20 million annually, but the Royals may view that figure as far too rich for their blood, even with added flexibility. It would be nice to see Gordon, a homegrown player from Nebraska, remain a Royal for life. But at the moment, that seems to be far less than a certainty.
The Royals have also opened extension talks Perez, and both sides would like to do something equitable that makes Perez a Royal for life. His first deal, which guaranteed $7 million over five years, has turned out to be one of the most team friendly deals in baseball history, especially since it includes multiple team options.
The Perez camp has mentioned deals for stars such as Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria and Ryan Braun as comps in the early going for Perez, but Kansas City considers those deals to be "bad deals."
