The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw Reach a New Deal

The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw have reached a new deal ensuring that the face of the franchise will don Dodger blue for what is likely the remainder of his playing days.

The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw have agreed to a new deal just ahead of the new 1 PM deadline that both sides agreed to on Halloween night.  The new deal will likely keep Kershaw in Dodger blue for three more years and pay him 93 million dollars plus incentives.

Kershaw was still one of the elite starting pitchers in the game this season, even with his fastball continuing to decline.  Clayton went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA to go along with a 1.04 WHIP.  Those numbers are a bit higher than his career average of a 2.39 ERA and 1.00 WHIP but they still leave him in the upper echelon of starting pitchers.

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Despite his solid season, Clayton once again suffered an injury this season although this type it was biceps tendonitis rather than his notorious back.  This will be something to watch going forward since it’s been a while since Kershaw has made it through a full season without going on the disabled list.

There was also the postseason that was once again another less than stellar time for one of the greatest left-handers to ever play the game.  Kershaw posted a 2-3 record to go along with a 4.20 ERA in the playoffs.  His World Series was one to forget as he failed to win a game going 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA.

The move makes sense for both Clayton and the Dodgers since the last thing a creature of habit like Kershaw wanted to do was to start over and move his family towards the end of his career.  For the Dodgers, they get to keep the face of their franchise and one of their greatest pitchers who has ever worn the Dodger uniform.

As Andrew Friedman stated in his end of the season press conference yesterday, the value Kershaw has on the franchise goes far beyond what he does on the field.  Kershaw is the kind of player you want other players to try to be and he is a great example to young pitchers like Walker Buehler and Julio Urias.

While there is some risk for the Dodgers, there is nobody in baseball that works harder than Clayton Kershaw and they will never have to question if he is giving the Dodgers his all.  A smart hard-working player like Clayton is the kind of player you should be willing to take some risk on.  Kershaw will be a Dodger for life, just as it was meant to be.