I say two, of course, because the only deal the Kansas City Royals have to get done is signing Alex Gordon.
Arbitration figures were exchanged and the club and player are about $1.3 Million apart. Or, as Mitt Romney would call it: peanuts.
A one-year contract would be a disappointment, and if Gordon plays well, it could be prohibitively costly. The good news is that the two sides both appear to be talking long-term. The smart money seems to be on Gordon getting signed for 4-5 years very soon, which would wrap up the To Do list for Dayton Moore if he wants to let his young team show him what it can do in 2012.
Of course, there is one more thing Moore could do to show his young team how much he believes in them and give the fans a real reason to believe Kansas City will be in the playoffs before the Mayan Apocalypse.
A phone call to Roy Oswalt and Edwin Jackson’s agents certainly couldn’t hurt. If previous years are to be believed, the payroll threshold for a non-contending Royals team is around $70 Million, and depending on how the Gordon negotiations turn out, the current roster shouldn’t be over $60 Million going into Spring Training.
What do you say, Mr. Oswalt. Wanna become a folk hero in KC before you retire and make a cool ten mil while you’re at it?
Make the call, Dayton.
