The Los Angeles Dodgers have been rumored to be in the Masahiro Tanaka mix, but a long-term commitment to him seemed odd with lefty ace Clayton Kershaw, winner of back-to-back National League Cy Young awards, set to become a free agent after the 2014 season.
According to reports, the Dodgers are more focused on retaining the best pitcher in baseball over the last two years, and want an extension locked in by Friday. A source close to ESPN's Buster Olney told him that the Dodgers offered Kershaw a contract approaching $300 million back in October, but the southpaw was hesitant about making a commitment without testing the free agent waters.
The same source told ESPN that the deal offered to Kershaw would include an opt-out clause after five seasons. Justin Verlander became the highest-paid pitcher of all time last offseason by signing a seven-year, $180 million deal with the Detroit Tigers at the age of 30. Kershaw is just 25 years old, and has won three consecutive ERA titles in addition to his back-to-back Cy Youngs.
The Dodgers are not afraid to shell out tremendous amounts of money. Without including a Kershaw extension, the Dodgers already roster four players, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Zack Greinke, who have well over $100 million contracts. Without Kershaw's deal included, the team will pay seven players at least $15 million in 2014.
Verlander's deal might be a cautionary tale for Los Angeles, however. While 2013 was far from a disaster, Verlander's performance dropped from his pre-mega deal levels. From 2012 to 2013, Verlander's ERA leapt from 2.64 to 3.46, his WHIP climbed to 1.057 to 1.315. His strikeouts dropped slightly, his walks increased a bit, and his record went from 17-8 to 13-12.
Still, the five-year age gap between the two, and the scarcity of such hard-throwing left-handers with pinpoint control could be too much to ignore.
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