Clayton Kershaw's looming free agency at the end of the 2018 season has all of Los Angeles already on pins and needles.
However, fans have room for optimism after the 2014 MVP confirmed that he was currently engaged in an "open dialogue" with the Dodgers' front office regarding a potential contract extension.
Fresh off the Dodgers first World Series appearance since 1988, Kershaw can become a free agent at the end of this season. It would be the first time in his 11-year career that he would become a free agent.
His current seven-year, $215 million contract, has a player option after the 2018 season, one that expects to be lucrative for big name targets like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Andrew Miller.
Earlier this week, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi declined to comment on specifics regarding Kershaw's pending free agency, but said that the front office and the three-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher have an "open dialogue" going.
"He's our franchise player," Zaidi told reporters last Tuesday from the team's facility at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
Kershaw confirmed that there was an ongoing dialogue after his first start of Spring Training against the Seattle Mariners in Peoria on Sunday.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
"That's a good way to put it," Kershaw said. "We just talk. Farhan, Andrew [Friedman] and I have good communication, and we are all on the same page as far as everything is going."
The Dodgers front office has made it a priority to re-sign their own players after they shelled out over $192 million last offseason to ink pitcher Rich Hill, closer Kenley Jansen, and third baseman Justin Turner to multiyear contracts.
However, the same front office has also made a conscious effort to remain under the luxury tax and not overspend for free agents. The team declined to match an offer to Zack Greinke in the winter of 2015 that exceeded $206 million over six years.
They also opted not to re-sign starting pitcher Yu Darvish who was with the team for the second half of last season, helping guide the Dodgers to the World Series where he was hit hard in two devastating starts to the Houston Astros in Games 3 and 7.
Darvish waited throughout the winter in the hopes the Dodgers would be willing to exceed the current $197-million luxury tax threshold, or make a trade to free up money.
Darvish waited until three days before pitchers and catchers were set to report to spring training before signing a six-year, $126 million dollar deal with the Chicago Cubs.
Kershaw could opt to avoid becoming a free agent by agreeing to a contract extension during the season, but he could also choose to see what it's like becoming a free agent in order to test the market and see what other teams are willing to offer for his services.
Kershaw prioritizes winning above all else and will likely either re-sign or go to a team that he believes has the best chance of reaching the playoffs and the World Series year after year.
