Royals re-sign Alex Gordon to 4-year, $72 million deal

The Royals have re-signed Alex Gordon to a 4-year, $72 million deal, as first reported by Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

According to sources, Alex Gordon and the #Royals have agreed to a mult-year deal, pending physical. Announcement likely today

— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) January 6, 2016

Gordon is coming off a 2.8 win season by FanGraphs WAR. Somewhat surprisingly, Gordon's offense provided the most surplus value. By UZR, Gordon's defense took a significant step back from his incredibly elite 2014 season. It should be noted that his defensive regression could have been tied to the groin injury he suffered.

The deal will take Gordon into his age-36 season. Over the past three seasons, Gordon has produced just over $33 million worth of value by FanGraphs $/WAR estimates. Considering the average annual value of his new deal reportedly amounts to less than half of that, the Royals might have got a substantial discount from other team's offers or even fair market value.

The star outfielder seemed to be Kansas City's top priority going into the off-season. Dayton Moore and the Royals front office have been linked to outfielders like Denard Span and Gerardo Parra, however, usually only as back-up options. With Gordon reportedly back, the Royals outfield looks relatively set for 2016.

This would leave Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton the hot ticket outfielders remaining on the free agent market. For instance, Gordon was most recently linked to the Chicago White Sox who may be forced to look elsewhere for outfield help now. After waiting almost a month after Jason Heyward's signing with the Cubs, this could be the signing the outfield market needs to further materialize.