Last month we reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers could extend the contract of ace Clayton Kershaw. According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times those talks have yet to begin, although negotiations are expected to start before spring training. Kershaw is scheduled to make $11 million in 2013 in the second year of a two-year contract that is worth $19 million.
Kershaw, who won the NL Cy Young award in 2011, finished second in Cy Young award voting in 2012 after going 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 229 strikeouts in 227 2/3 innings, has begun throwing off the mound in preparation for the upcoming season. So far the hip that became problematic last year hasn’t been an issue. “After the last two starts, I felt fine,” he said. “It was never a problem for me.” Kershaw however, is taking precautionary measures to strengthen the area.
The Dodgers have added more than $500 million in player salaries since they were purchased by Guggenheim Baseball so it’s hard to imagine a deal for Kershaw not getting done. The team recently announced that Time Warner cable would begin to televise Dodgers games in 2014 providing the team with a cash windfall from the deal of $7 billion.
Kershaw and his wife were in attendance at Don Mattingly‘s charity event Thursday night at the sports Museum of Los Angeles. The couple visited Zambia this winter and opened an orphanage after raising money for the project last season.
