Kershaw stays with Dodgers; Harper, Machado top market
LOS ANGELES — 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.
The Chicago Cubs exercised their $20 million option on left-hander Cole Hamels, who went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts after he was acquired from Texas on July 27. The Cubs traded left-hander Drew Smyly to the Rangers, clearing from the payroll his $7 million salary. That is $1 million more than the Rangers would have owed the Cubs if Hamels’ option had been declined, which would have triggered a $6 million buyout and allowed him to go free.
Kershaw terminated a $215 million, seven-year contract that had $65 million remaining at $32 million next year and $33 million in 2020. The new deal calls for 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. He can earn $4 million annually in performance bonuses, in four $1 million increments for 24, 26, 28 and 30 starts, which could raise the deal’s value to $105 million over three years.
He also can gain award bonuses of $1.5 million for winning the NL Cy Young Award or $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting.
“There’s been a lot of people saying that I’m in decline or not going to be as good as I once was,” said Kershaw, whose Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight year. “I’m looking forward to proving a lot of people wrong with that.”
Kershaw, who turns 31 in March, has spent all 11 of his big league seasons with the Dodgers.
“It was more valuable to me to just stay here,” he said. “A chance to win every single year, it doesn’t come around like this in LA very often.”
Top free agents prefer to seek multiyear contracts, but given the greater priority on draft picks in recent years, Ryu and Grandal might face a difficult market and consider accepting the offers.