Royals offer Alex Gordon one-year, $15.8 million deal

The Royals have extended a one-year qualifying offer, valued at $15.8 million, to left fielder Alex Gordon.

Gordon, the face of Kansas City's world champion club, declined a player option valued at $13.75 million on Wednesday.

"There's no doubt in any of our minds that we want Alex, and Alex wants to be here," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "But again, we're not going to take advantage of any relationship. Alex has done everything for us each and every day, and we've given him everything we possibly could.

"From the very beginning, when we signed him to a long-term contract, people said, 'You need to let him have another year [before offering a long-term deal].' … Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time it did."

"I never take advantage of a personal relationship," Moore said. "Business is business. It's about the Kansas City Royals.

"Alex is family. I want Alex to have all 30 teams interested in him. That's what I want for him. And then he'll have an opportunity to make a very informed decision, what's best for Jamie [his wife] and the boys.

"We are going to be as fair as we can, and hopefully it's good enough. It's the first time in my career that I've had this situation presented."

Gordon will have until Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. CT to accept the offer.

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