Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers Reach Two-Year Extension

Yesterday the Los Angeles Dodgers announced they’d reached a two-year contract extension with 2011 National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.  The 23-year-old’s deal is good for $19 million over two years.  Kershaw’s contract buys out his first two years of arbitration eligibility.

This past season Kershaw was one of the few bright spots for a Dodgers club that missed out on the playoffs for the second year in a row.  The left-hander led the NL in ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (248) on his way to his first Cy Young Award.

Kershaw posted a record of 21-5 for Dodgers, maintaining a 0.977 WHIP over his 33 starts and 233 1/3 innings pitched.  Kershaw’s peripherals were just as impressive, as the youngster posted 9.6 SO/9 and 2.1 BB/9, good for a SO/BB ratio of 4.59.

The Dodgers rewarded Kershaw’s award-winning 2011 campaign with a new two-year deal.  Kershaw earns a signing bonus of $500,000 and will make $7.5 and $11 million in 2012-13.  The contract buys out two of Kershaw’s remaining three years of arbitration.  Kershaw still projects to hit the free agent market following the 2014 season if a future agreement is not reached.

For more on the Dodgers, be sure to check out Lasorda’s Lair.

You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.