MLB Free Agency: 5 potential landing spots for Alex Gordon

St. Louis Cardinals

Speaking of Jason Heyward, there is going to be a lot of crossover between his market and that of Alex Gordon. Both players feature very similar skill sets, yet will command different deals on the Hot Stove. A lot of that has to do with the difference in age, with Heyward being a full five years younger, but regardless, both men will get paid.

One area of crossover could be the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis had the luxury of having Heyward on the roster for all of 2015 and they were extremely happy with the work they got out of him last season. Heyward slashed an impressive .293/.359/.439 with 13 home runs, 60 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. He also played his usual brilliant defense, posting a DRS of 24 (3rd) and a UZR/150 of 24.0 (2nd).

At just 26-years-old, Heyward is likely to command a deal over $200 million and, given his age, it will likely be the largest term of any deal landed this winter. The Cardinals, while they want Heyward to return and will give it a run, a not a typical player when it comes to deals of that size and if they weren’t willing to give such a deal to Albert Pujols, Jason Heyward isn’t likely to receive one either.

That leaves Gordon as a solid fallback option. Gordon is everything the Cardinals value; he’s a scrappy, team oriented player that gives everything on every possible play. While his yearly salary may not differ much from that of Heyward, his length of term demands will be lower and will fit more into the Cardinals long-term budget than does Heyward. Add in Gordon being from the Midwest (Nebraska) and the Cardinals could be a solid match.

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