Dodgers Lock Up Clayton Kershaw Long Term

Everybody knows that Clayton Kershaw is one of the best young arms in baseball today. The Dodgers know it and have locked him up to a long term deal. The team has signed their best pitcher to a seven year deal worth $215 million. It is the richest deal for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history, eclipsing the seven-year, $180 million contract Detroit gave Justin Verlander last winter, and his average annual salary of $30.7 million is the highest ever for any baseball player. Kershaw will also have the opportunity to become a free agent again in five years, if he chooses (ESPN).

Kershaw has won two of the last three NL CY Young Awards (RA Dickey won the other), is getting his new deal off of a very solid year last year, going 16-9 with a 1.83 ERA and 232 strikeouts. In fact, Kershaw has a 2.60 career ERA and recorded at least 212 strikeouts in each of the past four seasons (ESPN). With the new deal for Kershaw, the Dodgers now have five players with an average annual value of $20 million or more. Among active contracts (or contracts signed that have not yet started), the Dodgers now have five of the 22 largest average yearly salaries in the sport on the roster -- Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp (ESPN). So its obvious the Dodgers are not afraid to spend money to keep their players in tact.

The big question here is whether or not Kershaw was worth that much money? I say yes he is, at least amongst pitchers anyway. Very few pitchers that currently pitch in the National League are as dominant as Kershaw. Sure you have guys like Adam Wainwright, Stephen Strausberg, Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum, but I think it is safe to say that Kershaw is the best of the bunch.

Now we can see if he can live up to his new contract. Kershaw should be able to I have no doubt, but the reason I bring this point up is we have seen in other sports recently that some stars have trouble living up to their new bigtime deals. Kershaw can handle it though!