3 players the Dodgers need to sign to contract extensions this offseason

The Dodgers have money coming off the books, so they should take care of these three studs.

Everyone’s riding high in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are World Series champions for the first time since 1988 and the front office really doesn’t have a whole lot of work to do this offseason. In fact, they’re clearing about $50 million in payroll as a number of players (ones they will probably let walk) hit free agency and they’ll have nearly $28 million more come off the books after 2021 when Kenley Jansen and Chris Taylor see their deals expire.

Andrew Friedman needs to prioritize signing or trading for a third baseman as well as some relievers, but perhaps more importantly, he needs to keep his stars content. There are a few players heading into contract years or those who are about to be stuck in the arbitration process, and often times it’s best to avoid those headaches by handing out contract extensions.

We’re not saying the front office needs to exert all of its energy in taking care of these deals, but they should be on the docket in addition to the other roster needs. Here are three players the Dodgers should work to extend before the 2021 season begins.

3. Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw is a Dodger for life.

Clayton Kershaw‘s three-year, $93 million extension he signed after the 2018 season will expire after 2021, and it’s probably best the Dodgers reward their veteran ace after he helped propel them to a World Series victories. He kept the Rays in check and earned wins in Games 1 and 5 of the Fall Classic after getting Ws against the Brewers and Padres in the WC and NLDS.

His lone poor start against the Braves in the NLCS as he was enduring back issues was the only blemish on his resume this postseason.

On top of that, Kershaw has once again been atop the league throughout the duration of this extension. Since the start of 2019 (playoffs included), the left-hander is 26-9 with a 2.93 ERA and 293 strikeouts across 46 games (44 starts). He needs to be the veteran presence that continues to put forth dominant outings while leading a stable of young arms that include Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.

We suggest a four-year, $88 million contract to keep the left-hander a Dodger for life. That’ll keep him in town through his age-37 season, and you have to expect he’ll still be giving you quality outings by then given his style of pitching. He deserves to be among the highest-paid arms in the game even though injures have held him back a bit since 2016.

2. Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger is a future piece of this Dodgers team.

This scenario can probably wait the longest, but Cody Bellinger is about to make a ton throughout the arbitration process. He’s due close to $16 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility after earning Super Two status before the start of the 2020 season.

You can expect that number to approach $30 million by the time the third year of arbitration rolls around, and given he’s entering his age-25 season and has already captured Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, why not give him a 10-year extension and line him up with Mookie Betts for the next decade?

Bellinger transitioned to center field this season and was a revelation. Though he didn’t have a great year at the plate in the abbreviated season and didn’t really blow anybody away with his postseason numbers, he came up with clutch hits and tremendous defensive plays that kept the Dodgers’ run alive.

He only has 506 career games under his belt and he’s one of the best all-around players in the game. Fans so often talk about how 10- or 12-year contracts hamstring franchises financially, but not when you’re paying for the best years of a player. Give Belli a long-term lucrative deal that covers him through his age-35 season and that’ll maximize the output and not have anybody complaining about having to pay a player $35 million when they’re nearing 40 years old.

Maybe a 10-year, $250 million contract could work here. Players always want more, but this kind of security at the age of 25 could change the game for Belli.