For a few of baseball’s elite pitchers, visions of dollar signs likely accompanied the news of Felix Hernandez reportedly signing a record-breaking, seven-year, $175 million contract extension with the Mariners.
One pitcher who could soon find himself on the receiving end of a huge payday is Clayton Kershaw, and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti admitted that there is “mutual interest” between Kershaw and the club.
“This is not going to be a daily discussion point for us publicly. But there is a mutual interest,” Colletti said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Kershaw, who at 24 is two years younger than Hernandez, is slated to become a free agent after the 2014 season. There has been plenty of speculation in the past that Kershaw, who is set to make $11 million in 2013, could someday become the first pitcher to earn a $30 million annual salary. The news of Hernandez’s extension, which will reportedly give the Seattle ace $25 million a year, only increases the odds of Kershaw becoming a very rich man in the near future.
Kershaw has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball in recent years. The lefty earned Cy Young honors in 2011 when he won the pitchers’ Triple Crown. The lefty went 21-5 with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts.
Kershaw went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 2012, which was good enough for second in National League Cy Young voting.
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