ESPN.com reports that the Dodgers outfielder has agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $85 million that would keep him in Los Angeles through the 2017 season. There's also reportedly a club option for an additional year that would be worth $17.5 million.
"I have been instructed that I won't comment … until [Tuesday]," Ethier said following the Dodgers' game Monday night, according to ESPN.com. "There will be an announcement [Tuesday]. We will talk [Tuesday], I promise."
Ethier avoided arbitration last offseason by signing a one-year deal, and he would have been a free agent this offseason. Rumors surfaced last season that Ethier may be interested in joining the Red Sox, where he would be reunited with Dustin Pedroia, his good friend and college teammate at Arizona State.
"He's got his best buddy, Dustin Pedroia, telling him how great Boston is,'' wrote CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, then of Sports Illustrated, last July. "In Andre's mind, [the Dodgers' situation] is embarrassing, and Boston has a different [vibe] right now.''
Ethier was reportedly unhappy with the Dodgers' ownership mess at the time of those reports. That has been resolved, however, with a new ownership group taking over the club.
Ethier is having another big season this year, hitting .287 with 10 home runs and a league-leading 53 RBIs. He's been one of the best sluggers in baseball throughout his career, posting a career .844 OPS, while teaming up with Matt Kemp to form one of the better outfields in baseball.
