If all goes according to plan for Clayton Kershaw this season, he will have a World Series title and be in position to sign another long-term contract. He wields the power to join what’s shaping to be a mega 2018 free agency class by opting out of the final two years of his contract.
Kershaw signed a seven-year, $215 million contract five years ago, which put him in position to test the open market at 30 years old for the first time in his career. Should Kershaw exercise the opt-out clause, he would leave a guaranteed $65 million on the table.
What once was a forgone conclusion is no longer quite as certain due to Kershaw missing time in each of the past two seasons due to back injuries. A healthy 2018 campaign would assuredly quiet any concern.
The Dodgers and Kershaw are free to discuss hold contract talks and strike an agreement before the three-time Cy Young Award winner is to potentially become a free agent. Though, players more times than not see the process through.
Without providing specifics, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi indicated the club and Kershaw are having some form of contract talks, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“We’ve had conversations with him. I’m not going to go into detail about it,” he said. “But we have a very open dialogue. He’s our franchise player. So that’s important. I also know it’s important for him and for us that we don’t share the content of those conversations.”
Kershaw, as he’s previously done, reiterated this spring that he is not focused on the looming opt-out clause. Meanwhile, the Dodgers seemed to operate this past offseason with that very much on their mind.
They dumped salary in the form of Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, getting below the $197 million luxury tax threshold and resetting their penalty in the process.
Chase Utley’s two-year, $2 million contract was the lone multi-year deal doled out by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman during the offseason. The restraint inhibited a possible reunion with Yu Darvish, who joined the Chicago Cubs on a six-year, $126 million pact.
Should the Dodgers not exceed the tax threshold, they will be in strong position to re-sign Kershaw, and/or potentially Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Andrew Miller, all of whom are on track to become free agents.
