KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Gordon agreed to consent to a trade by the Royals starting June 16, an unusual provision in his new one-year, $4 million contract.
Gordon has spent his entire career with the Royals and has the right to block trades under baseball's collective bargaining agreement because he has at least 10 years of major league service, including five or more with his current team. The Royals lost more than 100 games in each of the past two seasons and are not projected to contend in 2020.
If the 35-year-old outfielder is traded, he would receive a $500,000 assignment bonus each time he is dealt, payable by the receiving team. In addition, if he is traded, he would be eligible for $500,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances starting after the initial swap: $100,000 each for 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250.
A three-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner, Gordon has an array of award bonuses: $100,000 for MVP and $50,000 for second through fifth in the voting, $100,000 for World Series MVP, and $50,000 each for All-Star selection, League Championship Series MVP and winning a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger.
Gordon, who planned to discuss his deal at the Royals' annual fan festival Friday, likely will return to left field but also spend some time at designated hitter.
He was the second overall pick of the Royals in the 2005 amateur draft after a standout career at Nebraska. He got off to a slow start while adjusting to professional baseball, but his move from third base to the outfield proved crucial to his success. He quickly became one of the game's premier defensive players, and his offense eventually came along.
Gordon already is among the top 10 players in Royals history in several categories, including fourth in homers with 186, sixth in hits with 1,609 and sixth in RBIs with 738.