Clayton Kershaw will make $11 million next season and is arbitration-eligible for the final time next winter, but the Dodgers are keen on making sure he’ll be around for the long haul.
According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Thursday that he’s open to discussing a contract extension with Kershaw this winter. There isn’t a ton of urgency to get a deal done immediately, but Colletti thinks there could be some talks after the madness of the Hot Stove has subsided.
“I think we’ll probably sit down and talk about it once we get past this period of time, the free agent period of time,” Colletti said. “We signed him for another year, there’s another year after that. That said, if there’s a common ground on both sides, it’s worth investigating.”
Kershaw missed a start in September due to a hip injury, but managed to make his final four starts of the season and doctors have since determined that surgery wasn’t necessary. Colletti said that Kershaw came out of the situation “pretty well” and doesn’t think the hip will prevent them from digging in on an extension.
Kershaw, who turns 25 in March, won the National League Cy Young Award last season and is a finalist again this year after leading the majors with a 2.53 ERA while fanning 229 batters in 227 2/3 innings. It’s safe to say that Cole Hamels’ recent six-year, $144 million extension with the Phillies will likely function as a benchmark for an extension.
