Bummer, but not really that unexpected since he came back on a 1 year contract.
Would he be the third-most successful Royal in franchise history? Brett and White would be #1 and #2. Saeberhagen had two CYA's and the WS MVP, but kicked the organization to the curb, same thing with Damon. Greinke didn't stay long enough in his prime. Sweeney's peak was better than Gordon's peak, IMO, but Sweeney played on some absolutely terrible teams, and his peak was cut short from injuries. Guys like Wilson, Splittorff, Montgomery, Gubicza, Seitzer didn't rack up the individual hardware or All-Star appearances like Gordon did. Salvy has a chance to pass Gordon in the long run, but Salvy has to stay healthy for that to happen. The Royals have been pretty stingy with number retirements, but I think the fact Gordon played all 14 years in KC will change that. Either way, it's the end of an era. Buddy Bell was the manager his rookie season.