Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
L.A. Dodgers, Kershaw extend deadline on his option decision
LOS ANGELES >> Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers want some more time to consider their possible future together.
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the team have agreed to extend the deadline on his option decision by 40 hours until 1 p.m. PDT Friday.
The team made the announcement a couple hours before the initial 9 p.m. PDT deadline Thursday.
Kershaw can opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract to become a free agenct for the first time in an 11-year big league career spent entirely with the Dodgers.
He was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA this season. The lefthanded ace spent time on the disabled list for the fourth time in five years, too.
The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight year, falling 4-1 to Boston on Sunday. ASTROS DECLINE OPTION ON MCCANN’S CONTRACT >> The Astros have declined their $15 million club option for 2019 on catcher Brian McCann.
McCann spent the last two seasons with Houston Astros after a trade from the New York Yankees in November 2016. McCann made $17 million last season in the final guaranteed year of a five-year, $85 million contract he signed in with the Yankees in 2014.
The option would have become guaranteed if he accumulated 1,000 plate appearances combined in 2017-18, made 90 starts at catcher last season and been active at the end of the season. McCann, who missed two months this year after knee surgery, made just 62 starts at catcher and had 615 plate appearances in two seasons in Houston.
McCann hit just .212 with seven homers and 23 RBIs last season.