Kershaw to stay with Dodgers
Ace pitcher agrees to 3-year, $93 million deal
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw has heard the chatter that he’s in decline. He’s eager to prove the doubters wrong while wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.
The ace agreed to a $93 million, three-year contract Friday after initially opting out of his previous deal and choosing free agency.
“There’s been a lot of people saying that I’m in decline or not going to be as good as I once was,” he said. “I’m looking forward to proving a lot of people wrong with that.”
Kershaw opted out of a $215 million, seven-year contract that had two seasons remaining at a total of $65 million. Signed in January 2014, it called for salaries of $32 million next year and $33 million in 2020.
The new deal involves a $23 million signing bonus, payable in equal installments on June 30 in each of the next three years, and annual salaries of $23,333,333.
“I wanted to stay here, so financial, everything aside, it was more valuable to me to just stay here,” he said.
Also Friday, the Dodgers made $17.9 million qualifying offers to two of their other free agents: pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and catcher Yasmani Grandal.
Kershaw gets an additional $28 million in guaranteed money. The new agreement includes $4 million annually in performance bonuses, in four $1 million increments for 24, 26, 28 and 30 games started, which could raise the deal’s value to $105 million over three years.
The left-hander also can earn award bonuses of $1.5 million for winning the NL Cy Young Award or $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting.
Kershaw, his wife Ellen and their two young children make their offseason home in the Dallas area, and if the Texas Rangers had had a winning season “it would have been something to consider for sure,” he said.
“It really wasn’t as much of a question for me this time around,” he said. “My kiddos love it here. Ellen loves it here. I love it here. I love the team here, and there’s not many opportunities that meet all the criteria that Ellen and I would be looking for. And myself personally, a chance to win every single year, it doesn’t come around like this in LA very often.”
The money designated a signing bonus will not be subject to state income because Texas does not have a state income tax.
Winner of the NL Cy Young in 2011, ’13 and ’14, Kershaw was limited to 26 starts this year because of a back injury and went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA while striking out 155. The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight season, with Kershaw taking the loss in Sunday’s season-ending Game 5 defeat to Boston.
QUALIFYING OFFERS: Washington outfielder Bryce Harper and Boston closer Craig Kimbrel were among just seven free agents who received $17.9 million qualifying offers from their former clubs Friday, when Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw agreed to a $93 million, three-year contract rather than test the market.
Left-handers Patrick Corbin (Arizona) Dallas Keuchel (Houston) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (Los Angeles Dodgers) also received offers as did outfielder A.J. Pollock (Diamondbacks) and catcher Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers).
Players have until Nov. 12 to accept. If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the June amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round.
Just five of 73 players given qualifying offers have accepted since the process began in 2012.
A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before. Because of those rules, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson were among the players who were ineligible to receive offers. The amount is the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year by average annual value.
CUBS: Chicago exercised its $20 million option on Cole Hamels on Friday, solidifying their rotation for next year, and traded fellow left-hander Drew Smyly to the Texas Rangers. Chicago also claimed infielder Jack Reinheimer off waivers from the New York Mets. The 26-year-old Reinheimer hit .167 in 21 games with New York.
RANGERS: Texas declined its 2019 options for catcher Robinson Chirinos and three pitchers on Friday, Including Moriarty High alumnus Matt Moore.
Moore was 3-8 with a 6.79 ERA in 39 games (12 starts, 27 relief appearances).