According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Kansas City Royals are still in the early stages of negotiations with outfielder Alex Gordon regarding a contract extension. However, things are "expected to intensify later this spring," Rosenthal writes. Gordon, 28, is in the third of four years of arbitration eligibility, and he will earn $4.775M this season. That means he's not too far off from free agency, and while Kansas City is looking to retain him after his breakout season, he'll be costly.

Royals GM Dayton Moore has stressed the importance of keeping Gordon as part of the team's rebuilding process; just about a week ago, the Royals locked up their catcher Salvador Perez on a five-year extension.

• Can the Royals keep Gordon? - Yardbarker
  "Gordon might not command $100 million – his track record is shorter than those of Zimmerman, Braun and Tulowitzki. But he almost certainly will want more than $55 million, the previous club record shared by Gil Meche and Mike Sweeney."