What would it take to acquire Alex Gordon from KC?

The Mets clearly need help in the outfield, and have supposedly been looking at a few players to add, mostly via trade. Luckily for the Metropolitan's, there are quite a bit of outfielders out there that fall into the team's price range. One of those players is Alex Gordon, a former first round pick of the Royals who has recently started to live up his hype.

Gordon hit .294 with 51 doubles (Lead the AL in doubles) and 72 RBI in 721 plate appearances for Kansas City in 2012. That right there tells me that he is a doubles machine, and can stay on the field. 721 plate appearances in one season is impressive, but I know that he had some trouble staying healthy a few years ago. Anyway, why would the Royals trade such a player? Well, first of all, they need pitching. Even after acquiring Ervin Santana, Kansas City is looking to upgrade its rotation to become competitive again in the AL Central. The Royals have a young outfielder named Wil Myers who could waiting under the wings of Gordon, so replacing him shouldn't be an issue. 

I believe that the Royals would also be willing to part with him because of his contract. Obviously Kansas City is a small market team, and Gordon is due for a steady pay raise within the next few seasons. He'll earn $9 million in 2013, $10 million in 2014, and $12.5 million. I don't know how thrilled the Royals would be if they had to pay Gordon that kind of money, especially if they need to upgrade their roster elsewhere.

Now, here is where the Mets come in. John Harper of the Daily News has said that a Mets official doesn't believe the Mets would do a Niese-Gordon swap. Niese is a young lefty that is under team control for the next four years or so, so that is understandable. I believe that the Royals would have to throw in a player like Salvador Perez, who recently signed a cheap contract extension to stay in Kansas City long-term. Perez has some pop to his bat, and would be a clear cut upgrade over Josh Thole and/or Mike Nickeas. Now I don't think the Royals would be happy about doing that, so the Mets would probably have to throw-in another player. If you include a Brad Holt or Cory Mazzoni-type pitcher, I think that you have a deal.

The Royals would be getting Niese, who has the potential to be a solid #2 or 3 starter, and they would be getting Mazzoni or Holt, who have decent upside but would most likely be #4 starters at best. The Mets would be getting Gordon--an above average outfielder that is under team control, and Perez--who is a young catcher with very nice upside. It's a win-win for both clubs.