Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers and left handed starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw have reached a deal to avoid arbitration. Hernandez reports that it is a two year deal and it is worth $19 million.
These would have been Kershaw's first two years of being arbitration eligible, thus this agreement buys out his first two years. Kershaw is coming off of a season where he was the National League Cy Young Award winner.
The deal does not, however, delay his free agency. Following the 2013 season, he will be arbitration eligible and in the off season after that, then he will be a free agent, He will make $7.5 million in this season, and in 2013 he will make around $11 million. He also will get a $250k signing bonus.
- Twitter / @Dodgers - "#Dodgers agree to a 2-year contract with Clayton Kershaw, avoiding arbitration"
- Twitter / @dylanohernandez - "Kershaw will receive a $500k signing bonus, $7.5 million salary in 2012, $11 million salary in 2013"
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Dodgers sign Clayton Kershaw to two-year, $19-million deal - latimes.com
His contract is in keeping with the Dodgers signing players at a comparatively low salary for next season, then raising it significantly the next. Matt Kemp, who signed an eight-year, $160-million contract in November, will earn just $10 million next season, $2 million of it deferred.