The Dodgers have officially struck a new deal with star lefty Clayton Kershaw. It’s a reported three-year, $93MM pact that does not include any new opt-out opportunities — but does have significant incentives.
Kershaw will earn $31MM in each year of the contract. The contract will include some significant incentive pay, allowing him to tack on $1MM each time he reaches 24, 26, 28, and 30 starts — meaning he can add $4MM in each season he’s at full health. Kershaw will also earn $1.5MM if he receives a Cy Young Award or $500K for a top-three finish.
This new deal was formalized just before Kershaw was to make a final decision on his preexisting contract. That pact, signed before the 2014 season, gave him the right to opt out of the remaining two years and $65MM. Rather than testing free agency, and perhaps considering alternative destinations, the veteran southpaw will remain with the only organization he has known as a professional.
This deal will only tack on a single season with $28MM in new money, which may seem light for a pitcher of Kershaw’s accomplishments. On the other hand, he has not been his previously peerless self over the past three campaigns. Kershaw will turn 31 before the start of the 2019 season and has only averaged 162 frames annually since the start of 2016. Given that he obviously preferred to remain with the Dodgers, perhaps it’s not terribly surprising that he’ll sign on for another year at a premium rate of pay but without obtaining a significant new term of years.
At the same time, it’s clearly a rather appealing agreement from the Dodgers’ perspective, particularly since they will only be on the hook through his age-33 campaign. Kershaw remains one of the game’s more productive starters, after all, and his immense talent base is impossible to ignore. In every season from 2011 through 2014, Kershaw led the National League in ERA and WHIP. He was just as dominant in all respects in the two ensuing seasons, though 2016 was when back issues became a problem.
More recently, as back ailments have continued to pop up, Kershaw’s peripherals have slipped. He has been somewhat more prone to the long ball, in particular. Plus, his fastball velocity dipped notably in 2018, landing at 91.4 mph. Even still, Kershaw has provided 336 1/3 innings of 2.52 ERA ball, over 53 starts, since the beginning of the 2017 season.
To compensate for the loss of heat, Kershaw has relied far more heavily than ever before on his slider, while maintaining his occasional use of a big hook. Regaining some fizz on the fastball would certainly go a long way toward Kershaw regaining his mastery, though it seems reasonable to believe he can continue to produce quality results even if that’s not in the offing.
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links) first reported the deal. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links) had financial details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saw that coming
How about some incentives if he’s WS MVP or helps LA get a title?
Umm…this is going to be his salary for the REGULAR SEASON.
Post season pay has nothing to do with players’ regular season contracts.
You do realize than many contracts have had incentives for this very accomplishment right??
That’s exactly the numbers I predicted in August.
Everybody saw it coming
Slight pay drop…lol
Adding a year was the whole point
So basically +1/26
Both your math and reading skills are lacking
So basically +1/$28M and a potential $16.5M in incentives.
And yet the Dodgers still won’t win the World Series
And yet, you are still a troll
No, hes just telling the truth.
I think that it’s more of an educated guess than telling the truth.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he missed half of the next three seasons due to back issues.
I am not a fan of this deal. Say what you want but I’m in the belief that he will start to decline rapidly within the next year or two.
He’s already started to decline but sometimes you need to take care of your stars.
Miguel Cabrera thinks Kershaw got jammed.
He’s been taken care of and had the opportunity to stay and still make plenty of money.
Even if you are right it makes it a good contract
They spent 48 million each for Kazmir/McCarthey to give them little to nothing for 3 years. I think they’ll manage whatever Kershaw gives them
He needs back surgery, So thats a year on the DL.
Good deal for both if those terms are correct. Kershaw takes a slight pay cut in AAV, which is helpful to the team too, but he gets another guaranteed season and will enter FA after his age-33 season, just young enough to score one more reasonable payday. Plus, of course, narratives about the post-season aside, Kershaw is still a really good pitcher, and his declining innings totals are less important in a world in which the 200-inning workhorse is going to be extinct in a few years.
One of the 2 best pitchers in baseball IMO
At one time, perhaps.
Now he’s maybe one of the 2 best pitchers in the Dodger rotation.
Top ten at this point…
Regular season or postseason when it counts ?
You don’t get to the postseason without being good in the regular season. Once you get there it’s all a crapshoot.
I think the sample size disproves this. Kershaw is routinely good only during low pressure games. Other players strive under pressure but aren’t that great in low pressure situations. The stats clearly show this.
He’s had more great starts in the postseason than bad ones. People magnify the bad ones and ignore the good ones because it fits a narrative
Im a Kershaw fan but if he’s top 2 then you think he’s better *today* than either DeGrom or Scherzer. Might be in the next tier with Kluber and Sale but I have a hard time envisioning another Kershaw Cy Young at this stage.
Sale is definitely not a tier below Scherzer and DeGrom. You’d have an easier time arguing he’s the best pitcher in all of baseball than saying he belongs a tier below anybody.
Dude, Sale has the highest K per 9 in history in AL… put him the NL and add 3 more… go take a look at Max’s AL numbers vs NL.
Sale was in the same division with him and had the better numbers.
Yankee fans everywhere just kicked their dogs.
I would never! I give my dogs nice pats no matter what happens.
Wouldve been nice for Kershaw to leave tho. The Dodgers of late have tried everything and always come up short
Because they didn’t sign Micheal Vick?
I’d take a 3-4yr Patrick Corbin 65-80M vs Kershaw at 3 and 93M
Kershaw was never leaving LA
And you’re not getting Corbin at that price
Where did acarneglia state a price for getting Corbin?
Obviously was adding on to him commenting to Pingleja…
How hard was it to figure out what was meant?
Corbin is getting 9 figures. Probably Darvish money.
Of course you would.
Taking Corbin over Kershaw makes so little sense. Kershaw has more Cy Young Awards than Corbin has All Star appearances. Corban is only a little more than a year younger. Corban has had tommy john. I’m not convinced Corbin wont be another Sonny Gray, Jaime Garcia or Lance Lynn
I’m convinced he’ll be different from gray, garcia, and lynn, but only cause he’s going to get $100MM and not $15MM. Please Giants don’t sign him. Please please
As a Yankee fan I didn’t really want Kershaw unless it was on a deal too good to pass up, like 1 or 2 years max which was obviously never going to happen. Kershaw remains one of the best right now but in my opinion his best days are behind him and any team that signed him would be paying for past performance.
He’s on the wrong side of 30 and the warning signs are there. His velocity has been dropping. Back problems. His last season was great but by his standards it’s his worst in nearly a decade. Got a lot of wear and tear on that arm. He’s likely beginning to decline. Not interested in my team bringing him in after LA already got his best years out of him.
“As a Yankee fan I didn’t really want Kershaw”…. you won’t get him so why do you care!!!
Why would the Yankees even consider signing him? He would get torn apart b the NY media for his constant failure when his team needs him most.
Well I dont know maybe it has something to do with Kershaw being arguably the best SP ever and that the Yankees desperately need SP more than anything else? Hmmmmm
I dont know how people pretend that he wouldnt have been best case scenario for the Yankees
I’d much rather have Kershaw than Patrick Corbin.
Big waste of money!!
Unreal money for playing a game.
They make this money because fans pay to see it. So look in the mirror if you dont like it
And this game is easy right? And they don’t put any effort into being that good, so they shouldn’t be paid right? And it’s not an entertainment industry right? If they don’t make the money then the owners make that money. I would rather it go to the people the fans are paying money to see play, not the owners.
Seriously, with this again? Only 750 people on earth play major league baseball, which is an industry worth billions and billions of dollars. Nobody ever turned on a game to watch an owner or agent or GM or whatever. The people who make the money should be the ones who get paid.
Your point stands, but it’s more than 750.
1200 if you count 40 man roster times 30 teams
750 on 25 man rosters.
1200 if you count the 40 man but since he said 750 play major league baseball. Either way his point stands, not a lot of major leaguers comparatively
Minor leaguers are criminally underpaid, but I get your point. I was specifically referring to the number of major-league players at any given moment.
well I mean actually here we are on MLBTR which pretty much consists of transactions done by GMs and owners…so yea we do kinda pay attention to that. oh and the draft which literally involves 0 of the players…
How much money would you pay to go watch a contract negotiation between an owner and an agent? Or to watch the draft? Wiuld it be comparable to what you pay to go to a game or for MLB.com or whatever other service you use to watch games?
That is a shockingly low total dollar amount. Good for the Dodgers. He must either be very confident in his long term health or he doesn’t feel the need to squeeze out all the dollars that he can. I’m guessing it’s the latter
You did see that it’s only for 3 years, right? I’m not sure how $93M before incentives is “shockingly low”…
Wow, pretty good deal if you’re a 4..32 career ERA post-season pitcher and 5.40 career ERA pitcher in the WS … after all, that kind of run production doesn’t grow on trees. Ha, good luck Dodger fans and don’t strain your neck too much watching those HR’s go out of the park, Clayton!
That’s cute. For a HOF pitcher that had a 2.73 ERA this year it’s a good deal. Any pitcher would kill to have his worst ERA be that.
Tough to argue actual post season numbers however he is a huge part of why the Dodgers will be in the playoffs again. Glad this contract is settled.
Right fans of teams who won’t sniff the playoffs are saying I’m glad that choker isn’t on my team. Also factor in the dodgers money, $30 million isn’t much for them
before this year He only had 3 bad games game 6nlcs with the Cards, game 6nlcs with the Cubs and game 5wsAstros all his others starts was 6inning 2 or less runs, why high era?? in the 7th inning almost all his risp score only 1 didnt score and that was fielding choice, Dodgers bullpen in Kershaw starts always has been awful
Ryan Madson allowed five runs to score while he was on the mound and his ERA in that span was 0.00. ERA can be misleading.
Three years on top of the 2 he already had or straight up 3? Confused
“This deal will only tack on a single season at a $28MM guarantee“
Reading is hard
Apparently being nice is harder.
@endinstealth sorry, I do not like stupid comments
Every question asked is stupid to someone. I’d rather answer it or ignore it, not be condescending.
Right. Guy asks for help and harry pness, the human clown shoe, makes fun of him.
Spelling must be hard too
Something you’re not familiar with?
Can I have irrelevant comment for 500 alex
*Kershaw throws 2.50 era*
People on MLBTR: He sucks! Not worth the money
It’s almost like there is more to the story or something. His second half numbers were way down, his velocity is way down, his strikeouts and whiffs are way down. The ERA is only relevant if you think he can repeat it with his diminished stuff. I do not.
92 mph with movement painting the black is still very very good. 15 wins 2.49 era with 9 Ks per 9 next year and people like you will think he stinks!
Good deal for Kershaw still more money than two years and he will be fine if his back holds up. Loyalty on both sides, something often rare in baseball these days.
Facts.
Now go get some quality bullpen help that can get 9 outs! Biggest issue for the past 2yrs! No Manny! No Harper! Have enough guys that only swing for the fences!
They really need to put resources in upgrading their pen. They have an abundance of decent starters topped by new staff ace Buehler. That aside Kershaw remains a valuable regular season option, but for how much longer?
Arrieta got 3/$75 when he was a year older than Kershaw will be in ’19, and not as good.
I think this is a reasonable deal, going by trends…Probably a better deal for the Dodgers, as they will keep profiting by having an iconic player with them.
Arrieta? Isn’t that the guy that is the only pitcher in history to win 2 road games in World Series and has a 2016 World Series ring ? You can have Kershaw ill enjoy watching the World Series flag fly forever at Wrigley Arrieta helped win. Regular season for show postseason for dough. Regular season for flash postseason for cash
Gotta have a decent regular season, or there is no postseason. Cubs fans should know that.
Not smart as he’s beginning to show signs of decline. That’s what happens when a large market team can afford to make hugh $$$ mistakes. He’s always been a stuff guy. Basically only one more year so not a big issue either way.
Yeah it’s only a 3 year deal. A lot of teams would kill to have him on this contract
Exactly; if Kershaw was an actual FO he’d easily get this contract and probably more.
FO? Front Office? Fatigued Old-man? Failed Oaf?
Ha! Oops. FA!
I thought they were gonna make him a Dodger for life?
With his achey back, maybe they did…?
One of my favorite pitchers’ and game’s special talents:
—1st pitcher to lead MLB in ERA four straight years
—Career hits allowed per 9—2nd-lowest in MLB history
—3× NL Cy Young Award (2011, 2013, 2014)
—5× NL ERA leader (2011–2014, 2017)
—MVP (2014) Triple Crown winner (2011)
Still waiting for that ring :-/
Dodgers streak without a WS championship just reached 30 years. Last two years certainly were aided by Kershaw’s performance on the big stage.
Last 2 years were aided by a team that hits homers and stikes out a ton. Not Kershaws fault they can’t hit with men on base or RISP with 2 outs. Nobody was beating the Sox this year the way they hit.
The Red Sox ability to hit with two outs this postseason was historical – FanGraphs ran a great piece that outlined just how improbable it was.
Just one extra year?
For 31 million a year, isn’t the Cy Young simply expected??????????
Good deal both ways. Pleased to see Kershaw remain with the Dodgers.
Makes me wonder if he plans to retire after three years. He could’ve done better on the market, but why leave the nest when that’s all you want to know I guess. Good for Kershaw. And I’m a Giants fan.
And here is a Dodgers fan hoping the Giants keep Bumgarner. I can’t see that guy wearing a different uniform.
Honestly I love getting to see Bumgarner-Kershaw duels. I’m glad Kershaw is still a dodger even though as a Giants fan I probably should be hoping for the dodgers to get worse.
He should have gone for a lot more or walked. Every team lining up for Harper, Machiado, and Corbin would’ve started throwing money at him had he opted out. Look at what Greinke got.
Guy doesn’t care about the money, he already had his payday
Kershaw in Dodgers Uniform – Great. Now Harper to Nationals.
Just trolling, thanks. Fun how a Dodger report turns into a yankie blab. CK will have made, in a couple of years, nearly a quarter of a billion. What is up with moanings about a few or forty million? Kept stretching.
That’s a lot of money for a pitcher declining heavily. I would have let him opt out.
His health makes me concerned and his lack of prowess in the playoffs.
He’s easily a Top 10, arguably a Top 5, and can pitch like the best in baseball on any given night with better frequency than most top 10’s.
Great value, great contract for a very worthy pitcher.
Plus, I couldn’t imagine him in another uniform.
Poor guy will never get a ring
Kershaw looked tired in the last game he lost in World Series. Should the Dodgers limit him in the regular season next year so that he will be fresh for the postseason? Maybe a 6 man rotation for LAD in 2019?
Yes or No?
He only threw ~160 innings last year… I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, but what do you think their magic number should be?
It’s hard to believe how many fans dislike this deal for the Dodgers.
He is the best starter in the game since Clemens/Maddux/Pedro/Johnson, and is only 30. Barring heath, he’ll finish with over 100 WAR (already over 60), and continues to post low 2 ERA’s (even with Dodger stadium, it’s still impressive).
People are freaking out because of the post-season, but look at the WHIP. He has given up home runs at really bad times, otherwise he has locked teams down in the post-season. Sequencing is a huge part of baseball luck, and Kershaw’s homers against in the post season are a small sample size of terrible luck for a dominating pitcher.
If he simply opted out and all teams could have gone for him, he’s easily getting a better deal than this.
Hard to believe any Dodger fan would complain about this incredibly team friendly deal.
He helped them in regards to the luxury tax, and he isn’t signed past 33. And he’s one of the best pitchers in the game still.
Months ago I predicted that Kershaw would take an extension deal with some substantial performance bonuses. That prediction was widely scoffed. Anybody willing to confess to getting it wrong?
I guess I’m not sure why the Dodgers are willing to pay him this kind of money with his World Series woes in the past 2 seasons. Kershaw is a great pitcher no doubt but I just don’t see him as the main key to the Dodgers winning a WS.
He throw a great game in game 1 2017ws the second game was bad but both teams starters and relievers did bad maybe the weather or something did that, this year after comming back from dl He wasnt the same maybe He was playing injured He change a lot looked like He was a contact pitcher, this year Dodgers really need Him to win the west if Manny and Kershaw wasnt there we dont win the west
But you have to get to the WS to win one, so there’s that. Kershaw makes them a better bet to make it to the postseason, and once you’re in the tournament all bets are off.
Kershaw has yet to pitch his team to a World Series championship. He is not a stellar pitcher in the post-season where real stars shine.
He’s not a money pitcher.
Just a pitcher who makes a ridiculously large amount of money.
This is a terrific deal for the Dodgers. They’ve signed up their best pitcher to a deal which doesn’t take him into his mid=thirties, or last for seven years. It’s expensive on a per year basis, but who cares? Years, not dollars, for starters these days.
I love this! Overpaying for someone who throws 88 mph and is on his way down hill not up! Enjoyed what he did for the franchise, but let’s face it, They are paying him for what he’s done in the past not what he is doing in the future. Kind of like the end years of Kobe. But LA has the money so who cares I guess……. He’s no longer the number one. Hurt every year, lost the velocity, can’t win in the post season. But LA doesn’t care.. He’s a name. Good luck while every team in the division gets better and this dude gets older and slower. Buehler is the future, not Kershaw.