The Dodgers announced that they have signed Chad Billingsley to a three-year extension that includes a team option for a fourth year. Billingsley will earn a guaranteed $35MM from 2012-14, his final season of arbitration eligibility and his first two free agent seasons. The Dodgers say they chose to invest in the pitcher because of his history of success and durability.
“Through his professional career Chad has shown that he is very capable of winning games and taking the ball,” GM Ned Colletti said. “His won-loss record speaks to that as well as his innings pitched totals.”
Billingsley will earn $6.275MM in 2011, his second of three seasons as an arbitration eligible player. Under his new extension, the right-hander will then earn $9MM in 2012, $11MM in 2013, $12MM in 2014 and either $14MM or a $3MM buyout in 2015. The deal includes a clause which allows Billingsley to block trades to ten teams.
Billingsley, a Dave Stewart client, has been a steady presence in the Dodgers' rotation since 2006. He posted a 3.57 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 191 2/3 innings last year. His career numbers – 59-41 record, 3.55 ERA, 825 2/3 innings, 8.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 – have led to larger-than-usual rewards through arbitration. With a typical season in 2011, Billingsley could have asked for an eight-figure salary in '12 and hit free agency afterwards, but the extension provides security and extends his stay in California.
Francisco Liriano, Trevor Cahill, Jered Weaver, Clay Buchholz, C.J. Wilson and Clayton Kershaw are among the top starting pitchers currently without multiyear extensions.
Joe McDonnell of FoxSportsWest.com (Twitter link) first reported the deal and Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles and Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times added detail (all Twitter links).
lots of pizza and ice cream he can buy with that money
Great News!!!
Time to extend Kershaw now!
Good deal. As a comparison, Rafael Soriano will make $35MM over the three years of his deal for only pitching in the eighth inning.
Soriano was also a free agent.
It’ll appear that Billingsley will make less on average in his two FA years than Soaiano will make on the AAV of his pact with the Yankees.
Plus the Dodgers have a team-friendly option for his 2015 season.
Yeah, I can read too.
As for your above point: Uhh… okay? I guess you didn’t read the part where I said “Soriano was also a free agent”. Free agents tend to make more money than players that are arbitration eligible.
And why are you even bothering to compare a starting pitcher vs a closer? One is just a good starter while the other is an elite closer who was a free agent. I am pretty sure Billingsley would make more as well as a free agent.
15th in total WAR in all of baseball since 2008 among starters: billingsley
15th in total WAR in all of baseball since 2008 among relievers: soriano
your point still holds. but you may be selling billingsley short a bit
and actually soriano barely pitched at all in 2008, so that stat is kinda lame
Good move. We’re paying Kuroda (12m) and Lilly (11m) more than that this year.
It’s about the same number if you add in the arbitration year buyout. He’s getting probably $2-3m more in 2012 than he’d have been awarded in arbitration.
Thats more like it. Good job Dodger’s. Now for Kershaw..
….and Ethier…and Kemp.
Agreed
I always like it if a team is able to buy FA years of a good pitcher. Nice deal for both sides
Good deal.. They’re paying him for what he currently is, not his potential..
If he improves, this could look like an even better deal.
Good job.
Good deal for the Dodgers here. Lets hope Billingsley can take a few more of his starts into the 8th inning these next few years. That’s all he’s missing.
LET THIS BE A TREND.
Agreed. Let’s hope this example of proactive competence from the Dodgers Front Office becomes the norm and not the exception. (I would have just “liked” your comment but it’s not an option on the iPhone app.)
dodgers win
So, i have a question for the people at MLBTR. Are you going to write a column in 3-5 years on (what did they say at the time of the extension) and think “oh i’m such an idiot for saying that.”
Omg.. yay!!!
Weren’t they concerned about him at the beginning of the offseason? Or am I thinking about another Dodgers pitcher… or another offseason?
The writers for the LA Times hate the Dodgers.
Ah, makes sense.
Simmers is awful, and the last time I remember Plasche righting an article not saying the Dodgers suck, was about Juan Pierre…
Simers is the most pathetic excuse for a sports journalist I have ever seen. What ever happened to professionalism?
He’s pretty awful I agree, but Simers did write a nice piece about Vin Scully today, though it has to be said that nobody could write a bad one about Vin without making a huge effort.
in other news, evan longoria got his ak-47 stolen
Tremendous job by the Dodgers. So, you figure that the kid will be averaging 10mil a year over the next four seasons. He was probably worth that in even his shakiest season as a big-leaguer (2009). If he takes the next step in his development, this could become one of the most team-friendly contracts you will find among pitchers, and it comes with little risk.
not a bad deal for a guy who still has about 6 good years left. since some starting pitcher. start to lose there stuff once they hit there mid 30s
there, there
As a Giants fan I LOVE THIS MOVE!!!! this is the Dodgers Zito type of move… except Billinginsly never won a Cy or pretty much anything. KEEP IT UP DODGERS!
except this isnt6 years or 100M!
As I recall, Billingsley is really good against the Giants. He shut you guys out last year and has done so before in his career also.
failure
Wow, If you were a true Giants fan you wouldn’t eve talk about Zito, Think Yankee fans talk about Pavano? How about the fact that the Dodgers are about 70 million away from matching Zito’s ridiculous amount of money?
When Cashman looks at the best FA pitcher on the block and says “Naahhhh. I’m good.” then your GM should too.
Sorry about my fellow giants fan. He must be new to baseball if he’s bringing up zito. But don’t you find I funny how people talk about the giants 2 bad contract? They won the world series with about 30 million of dead money in zito and rowand.
It’s not like a team hasn’t done the same with bad contracts on the books. No discounting the Giants big success in 2010 but it will be interesting to see how those contracts impact them going forward. You guys should be thankful Carlos Lee turned down the 6/112m offer from SF.
Probably one of the dumber comments I’ve seen in awhile. Nice work.
my dude your about 3 year 70 million dollars wrong about about that. plus zito was 29 when he sign with the giants. bills only 26
Wait…..what? You’re comparing the $3/30 mil signing of a 26 yo pitcher fresh off of 190 innings @ 3.07 FIP to the 7/$126 mil signing of a 28 yo fresh off of 220 innings @ 4.89 FIP?
How’s that Zito deal worked out for you? Zito might be the 1st big time FA pitcher to regress going from AL to NL.
Duh! Losing
The only thing I like about this comment is that a Giant’s fan posted it hah
Padres fan here, but thought I’d chime in. As a rival fan I’m bummed that Billingsley wasn’t hell bent on reaching free agency after 2012 and getting a much more lucrative deal then he got. Likening him to Zito, whom you guys owe 67m over the next 3 years (factoring in the inevitable buyout) seems pretty lame to these unbiased eyes. I’m curious how the Giants manage their pitching staff going forward with Sanchez and Cain eligible for free agency after ’12 and Zito and Lincecum costing a combined 40m at that time.
I think it’s pretty damn entertaining that the Giants owe Zowand 91m over the next 2-3 years — that’s a sizeable downpayment for a Pujols or a Fielder, which would transform the Giants from a good team to a great team. But hey, you’ve got Aubrey Huff… here’s hoping for your sake he can put two good seasons together in a row. Jinx.
Sorry Dodger fans, but Kershaw will be pitching for the Yankees next to Josh Johnson.
that some wishful thinking. that the same team that couldn’t land Cliff Lee. what make you think they can get both kershaw and johnson
Hey I am no Yankee fan, I just like to rile them up, I bet they couldn’t get either, but the fans sure would think they could.
If they become FA then yeah, I like our chances. If I had to place any bets then I would say JJ has a better chance of seeing the open market moreso than Kershaw. Dodgers would be stupid not to try and extend him.
Ha! You act like George is alive.
How. Dare. You.
This signing gives us some idea what it would cost to extend Kershaw. If it cost the Dodgers $12m a year for Bills, Kershaw is probably good for $15m per.
Kershaw’s extension will hopefully be for more years so maybe they could get him for cheaper. More years usually equals less per year b.c of security. I’m not saying less than Billz, but maybe less than he’s owed. I don’t really care personally, WE just need to get it done