Clayton Kershaw Makes Right Call Snubbing FA Payday to Become GOAT with Dodgers | Bleacher Report

Jae Hong / Associated Press

In the latest sign that the Earth is still spinning, Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers have determined they belong together.

Wednesday was the original deadline for Kershaw to exercise the opt-out in his seven-year, $ 215 million contract. The ace left-hander and the Dodgers agreed on the deadline to 4 p.m. AND on Friday, and they reached a new deal just in time.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, it's a three-year, $ 93 million agreement with incentives and no opt-out:

Clayton Kershaw we're talking about Clayton Kershaw He owns three National League Cy Young Awards, an MVP and five ERA titles. Even in a "down" 2018 season, he mustered to 2.73 ERA over 161.1 innings. Altogether, his career 159 ERA + is the best ever for a pitcher with over 2,000 innings.

Perhaps Kershaw would have been in a $ 200 million payday at the Max Scherzer, David Price and Zack Greinke. But he would have been in for something between $ 100 million and $ 150 million.

However, this is no time to frown on Kershaw's decision.

David J. Phillip / Associated Press

Strictly from a narrative perspective, if Kershaw opted out, he would have felt like LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat or Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors.

Defensible, for sure. Arguably the right choice, even. And yet … wrong.

Kershaw has been in the Dodgers organization since L.A. drafted him seventh overall in 2006. He has turned into the Sandy Koufax of his career and, through his professionalism and warm personality, has a favorite fan in the 12 years since then.

"Clayton exemplifies what it is to be a Dodger," Dave Roberts' rep told reporters.

The Dodgers have certainly reaped benefits from Kershaw's excellence. They've gone to the playoffs eight times during his tenure. In these, they've gone to the National League Championship Series six times and the World Series twice.

The one thing missing, of course, is the big one: the team's first title since 1988.

The Dodgers have not continually fallen short because of Kershaw specifically. But he has been part of the problem. Despite the bright spots in his track record, his career postseason ERA (4.32) is nearly two times higher than his career regular-season ERA (2.39).

According to ESPN's Stats and Information, Kershaw has come out of his life when the Dodgers

So it was the last time Kershaw took the lead in Game 5 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He served up four runs on three home runs in seven innings, and the Dodgers lost 5-1.

If the southpaw had chosen to leave this, the legacy would be left behind. He would have been one of the all-time great Dodgers but not quite tea greatest.

But now Kershaw has more chances to wrap up unfinished business. And it is happening when the Dodgers truly need each other.

Had Kershaw chosen to test the free-agent waters, the Dodgers would have been left with a rotation of Walker Buehler, Rich Hill and some combination of Alex Wood, Julio Urias, Ross Stripling and / or Kenta Maeda. Not bad but far from great.

For Kershaw's part, it's no secret that he's not the unstoppable force he used to be. He's lost time in the past and seasons. The last three has been especially rough, as it's averaged 25 starts and 162 innings per year.

Kershaw's fastball velocity also seems to have fallen prey to wear and tear. It's been a steady downward trend since 2015. It has a bottom line of 90.8 mph in 2018.

This had a not-surprising effect on Kershaw's hittability. His strikeout rate went down, and his hard-hit rate went up:

If Justin Verlander can do it, then there's a chance Kershaw will get his health in order and eventually welcome back his vintage velocity.

But since it's not terribly likely, it's a good thing the Dodgers can offer all the advantages he needs. Dodger Stadium is a notorious pitcher's park. The team will be returning from Major League Baseball's tied-for-sixth-most efficient defense. And if if Yasmani Grandal (who's been made a qualifying offer) does not return, Austin Barnes is an outstanding pitch-framer in his own right.

Perhaps the biggest question Kershaw had to ask himself is the Dodgers' championship window has already closed. But while there is an argument there, his return is just another reason to believe it remains open.

The team's rotation looks better with him in it. Kenley Jansen still anchors a strong bullpen. Manny Machado is leaving behind an offense that caught fire in the second half of 2018, but a healthy Corey Seager will step into his shoes next year. And that their luxury-tax penalties are reset, additional help from outside the organization should be on the way.

Kershaw to go this winter. In theory, he and the Dodgers were always bound to each other.

Now that it's official, they know what to do next.

Short Stats of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant and Baseball Flyer.