The defending champions did an about face today when they agreed to a new contract with left fielder Alex Gordon. Previously, they had stated they weren’t willing to meet his demands, but the two sides came to an agreement on a four-year, 72 million dollar deal. The agreement marks somewhat of a compromise between what they were previously willing to pay and what he and his agent were demanding.

Why the Royals make this deal

The Royals have certainly seen a reduction in force this winter. Both Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist left for greener pastures. However, one could argue that they return to being the best team in the AL Central. After all, they won the 2014 pennant and were in first place before they acquired either player last year. That being said, Gordon was a dark horse MVP in 2014, and while injured for part of the season last year, was still productive. You could argue he was more integral to their success than those other two.

Furthermore, the team brought in Joakim Soria to replace the production that Greg Holland will leave on the disabled list this season. It should be noted that Soria used to be the Royals’ closer before he had arm problems of his own. So, they’ve managed to keep the team together without completely breaking the bank. The team currently has a payroll mark at 102 million and are projected to go 124 million before opening day.

That mark would have been unheard of before, but a season of stellar attendance and two postseason runs have allowed ownership to give Dayton Moore a little more money to spend. The Royals are still in the hunt for another starting pitcher, but otherwise have managed to bring most of their nucleus back together. That likely makes them the odds on favorite to repeat as AL Central Champions.

What this deal means for you

People rarely think of players as humans first. Fans tend to think a player should run out and search out the biggest pay day without thinking of how that impacts a player’s life. Sure, Gordon may have been able to fetch 20 million per season or even five years on the open market. There is no telling whether he would have been any happier or more productive. Returning to your own team often adds the least amount of pressure. So, we might be able to expect more out of Gordon than if he had signed somewhere else.

From 2011 through 2014, Gordon averaged 156 games played, but that changed in 2015. Still, I would not expect anything that happened last season to carry over to this season. With 50 more games played, Gordon likely would have approached 20 home runs, 60 runs, and 70 RBIs. Those aren’t terrific numbers, but in this day and age we have to learn to limit our expectations. His .809 OPS makes him an above average offensive corner outfielder. That leaves many to wonder what the fuss is about with Gordon.

Coming into 2015, Gordon had four consecutive seasons with at least 16 fielding runs above average. He averaged nearly 1.8 dWAR a season during that stretch. Much like Andrelton Simmons and Jason Heyward, his defensive value can sometimes bleed into his offensive value for some fantasy players. Gordon is a legitimate all-star performer, but for fantasy purposes he really isn’t an all-star. As long as you don’t treat him like an elite fantasy player you will probably be happy with what you get in 2016.