Jay-Z‘s allegiance is still to the Bronx Bombers, but “money ain’t a thang” to the boys out in Los Angeles. The Dodgers, who have been tossing a crazy amount of money at players recently, could soon do the same with pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Kershaw have made progress on a seven-year contract extension. The dollar amount of the deal will reportedly be above the $180 million that the Tigers gave Justin Verlander, thus making it the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history.
It’s been no secret that Kershaw is going to get paid. The left-hander is a legitimate ace, and he’s still just 25 years old. You’ve got to pay to keep those types of pitchers around, and big extensions for fellow aces Verlander (30 years old) and Felix Hernandez (27 years old) made it clear that Kershaw could be in line for a record-setting deal.
The question has been about how much the deal will be worth. And while Rosenthal reports that the two sides are making progress on a seven-year pact, it apparently isn’t the only contract discussed. According to Rosenthal, the two sides discussed a variety of proposals earlier in the negotiations, including a 10-year, $250 million deal and a 12-year, $300 million deal.
Kershaw, who is 5-4 with a 1.84 ERA this season, won the National League Cy Young in 2011, and he finished second in Cy Young voting in 2012.
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