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Clayton Kershaw returns to Dodgers on one-year, $17 million contract


Clayton Kershaw remains in place, is said to have agreed to the terms of a one-year contract with the Dodgers, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal, pending, guarantees him $17 million and comes with possible additional incentives, as noted by Jon Heyman of the MLB . Network. Kershaw is a client of Excel Sports Management.

This will be Kershaw’s 15th season in the Dodger blue, as the future Hall of Famer returns to the only organization he’s ever known. The front office has let him go to a free agent for the first time this holiday season, but the group’s executives have always insisted they want to keep him.

Very early in the season, it became clear that the Dodgers and Rangers were the favorites for his services. The 2014 NL MVP hasn’t hinted publicly about where he’s based, but Texas and LA both have their respective upsides. Rangers have offered the Highland Park native a chance to play closer to his hometown, alongside a chance to reunite with Texas coach Chris Woodward, who has previously coached with the Dodgers. However, Los Angeles has provided organizational familiarity and a more immediate path to post-season play.

Kershaw is clearly one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history, and that’s why the Dodgers wanted to keep him around for legacy purposes alone. He has won five ERA titles, hitting the 3.00 sub-mark in 11 of his last 13 seasons. He is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and placed in the top 5 in the NL poll every season from 2011-17. Veteran Nampaw has led the tournament three times in wins and is a key contributor to the team that won the World Series 2020.

However, there is little doubt that the Dodgers – once again one of the top contenders in the league – are also motivated to bring him back because they believe he will remain a player. effective pitcher in 2022. The 33-year-old (34 next week) is no longer the best pitcher in the sport, but he’s still among the top performers on the pitch. rate department last season. Last year’s 3.55 ERA was his highest since his 2008 rookie campaign, but it’s still solid run prevention. And Kershaw’s peripherals are better, at the top of the league.

Kershaw took down the highest 29.5% of face-to-face walkers with 4.3% of opponents. His 16.7% spin rate is a personal best, marking number one in the league among pitchers with more than 100 innings. He was sixth in hit/walk ratio difference (25.2 percentage points) and fifth in SIERA (3.10). Several other starts were equally effective on a court-by-court basis, but Kershaw was limited to 121 2/3 innings and 22 started by a season-ending health threat.

Nampaw took two months off from July to September due to inflammation in the elbow/forearm area. He returned to start a couple of times but faced new discomfort in the final game of the season. That forced him to undergo a round of platelet-rich plasma injections at the end of the season, but he has avoided surgery and is generally expected to be fit enough to start the upcoming campaign.

Assuming his physicality has come clean, the Dodgers will install Kershaw back into a pivotal rotational role. They’re in a better position than most of the team to get over any potential concerns related to his workload, based on depth in the roster. Walker Buehler and Julio Urias at the top of the rotation, while David Price, Tony Gonsolin and offseason signee Andrew Heaney all possible elements at the rear end. Dustin May could return mid-season from May 2021 for Tommy John surgery. Not sure whether Trevor Bauer will face suspension from MLB, but he is still on the current roster.

It’s an enviable group, and the leading trio of Buehler, Urías and Kershaw could once again become a nightmare for counter-offenses in a series of post-season miniseries. Still, it’s not out of the question that the Dodgers keep trying to add to it; they showed on last summer’s deadline in the acquisition Max Scherzer they never hesitate to pursue elite talents if given the opportunity.

The $17 million guarantee would push the Dodgers’ pay commitments — including projected salaries for players eligible to serve as referees — to around $245 million, Jason Martinez’s estimate of Squad Resources. They opened last season with a $248 million range, but the Scherzer acquisition mid-season and Trea Turner pushed that number up significantly.

Los Angeles’ luxury tax amount (determined by adding the average annual values ​​of contracts, not actual wages) is currently around $250 million. That’s $20 million north of the new collective bargaining agreement baseline and right at the first surcharge marker. All Dodgers pay a luxury tax for the second year in a row. Because they will be multiple payers, the Dodgers will be subject to a 30% tax on every dollar spent between $230 million and $250 million; they will be taxed at 42% on expenditures between $250 million and $270 million. However, as the club showed last season when it crossed all three thresholds, it is not a concern for ownership under certain circumstances.

Kershaw’s return to LA is sure to be disappointing for the Rangers, who have made no secret of their relationship with him. Texas is one of the most active clubs this season, signing Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray in a pre-lock frenzy, but swing very slightly in terms of firmness. Kershaw would instantly become the Rangers’ top arm and a veteran vocalist for their younger starters. When he’s off the board, it’s possible Texas will be looking for more affordable stopgap options for the spin – on trades similar to this afternoon’s $4 million reunion with Martin Pérez.

Kershaw and Carlos Rodon supposed to be the last two top starters available in the free reseller coming out of the day. Kershaw returned to LA, while Rodón agreed to the terms of a two-year pact with the invincible Giants. Yusei Kikuchi and Zack Greinke are the only unsigned starters that are currently healthy to have become MLBTR’s top 50 pre-season Free Agents. With the market leader now selected, teams in need of rotation will turn to trading candidates that can provide mid-term production or better. The Reds and A’s are generally expected to offer impact starters available in the coming weeks.





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