SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Kansas City Royals and representatives for first baseman Eric Hosmer continue to discuss a possible long-term contract extension, according to a report from of Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, though any potential deal would likely have to be struck before Opening Day.
In an interview Sunday, Hosmer told Rosenthal that the two sides had continued to talk in the early days of spring training. Hosmer is set to become a free agent after the 2017 season, and while it's rare for a player this close to the open market to agree to an extension, the Royals do have a history of completing deals closer to the season.
Royals General Manager Dayton Moore declined to comment on the nature of the talks in an interview Sunday evening, instead repeating the organization's long-held goal of extending as many homegrown players as possible.
"We're always engaging and willing to listen and explore, but there's nothing that I'm going to talk about," Moore told the Kansas City Star. "We're always exploring opportunities at different times during the year. Historically, when we've done those deals with our players, it's been closer to when the season starts."
Hosmer is one of four key Royals who will reach free agency after the season, a group that includes third baseman Mike Moustakas, center fielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar. Hosmer and Moustakas are both represented by agent Scott Boras, a hard-line negotiator who often prefers to take his players to free agency.
In an interview with the Star, Hosmer said players in the Royals clubhouse understood that the organization would not be able to keep every member of the team's core. But Hosmer expressed a willingness to remain with the club.
"There's nothing we can do," Hosmer told the Star. "There's nothing we can control. If it was up to all of us, and we know if it was even up to Dayton, he would keep everybody here and try to keep this group together as long as possible. But we know the reality of it. It's not going to happen."
On Sunday, Hosmer said he would continue listening on potential extensions until Opening Day. Yet he does not appear interested in continuing negotiations into the season.
"I don't know if it's going to heat up now in spring training," Hosmer told Rosenthal. "But during the season, I don't like being bothered with that stuff. If something doesn't happen here, I don't see anything during the season really happening."
In addition, Hosmer appears intrigued by the possibility of reaching the open market.
"It's hard to make it to free agency," Hosmer told Rosenthal. "It's a right that every player earns if they make it that far. We are talking about certain extensions, stuff like that. But the way I see it right now, I just want to make it that far. And if I do make it that far without signing anything, I feel like I deserve that right to see what's out on the market."
Hosmer, 28, batted .266 with a .328 on-base percentage and a career-high 25 home runs in 2016, earning his first All-Star appearance and winning MVP honors in the midsummer classic in San Diego. In six seasons in the big leagues, he has helped the Royals to two World Series appearances, including a world championship in 2015, and emerged as an unquestioned leader inside the Royals clubhouse.
Yet his overall value has been the subject of some debate in recent years. In six seasons, Hosmer has batted .277 while posting a career OPS-plus of 107, just seven percent better than league average. He has hit 20 home runs and driven in 100 runs just once.
In an interview with Rosenthal, Boras called Hosmer's future in Kansas City an "ownership question."
"We all know that Hos is a franchise player, a world champion," Boras told Rosenthal. "He's done all this at a very young age. And I don't know how many people have told me that if a guy hits 25 home runs in Kansas City, he's going to hit 35 somewhere else."
As the 2017 season approached, the Royals' front office began to prepare for the upcoming free-agent puzzle. In a preemptive strike against a possible exodus, they traded closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Jorge Soler and sent outfielder Jarrod Dyson to the Seattle Mariners for right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns. They also completed a contract extension with left-hander Danny Duffy, who was set to become a free agent after the year.
But four possible free agents remain, and Hosmer is positioned to be the most coveted first baseman on the market next winter. For now, Hosmer is believed to be interested in an extension that could approach 10 years in length. The Royals, constrained by small-market realities and a meager television contract that runs through 2019, would likely be uneasy about such a long-term financial commitment. Yet Hosmer offers the rare combination of talent, leadership and a marketable personality.
"I think every baseball person [in the Royals organization] wants to commit to Hos for a long time," Boras told Rosenthal. "He's earned every bit of respect through his performance and his leadership. I think it's really about the owners trying to place a franchise player in Kansas City."
For now, Hosmer is content to wait. But the idea of signing a long-term extension and following in the footsteps of Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon and Duffy is alluring.
"Everybody's dream is to play for one team, to have one jersey in your career and just be linked to that organization," Hosmer told Rosenthal. "Especially when you look at not only on the field but character-wise off the field. It means you've done everything right."
Sports on 02/21/2017