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Plenty of people in Los Angeles got excited upon hearing the news last month that the Los Angeles Dodgers had re-signed All-Star closer Kenley Jansen and third baseman Justin Turner to new contracts within hours of each other. On Wednesday, the world will find out why.
Jansen and Turner are scheduled to meet with the media on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium to answer questions pertaining to their decisions to stay with the team after both became free agents at the end of the 2016 season.
Likely, the reasons lie in the adage, "finish what we started," as the Dodgers finished just two games shy of the World Series last season. However, the fact that both players were together in Curacao for Jansen's wedding just days before the December 12th announcement was made has conspiracy theorists believing that the Dodger family trumped money, at least in this instance.
Both Jansen and Turner re-signed with the Dodgers for subsequently less money than other teams were reportedly offering them. Jansen's deal is for five-years, $80 million with an opt-out clause after the 2019 season.
According to multiple reports, Jansen will receive a $4 million signing bonus and an exponential contract that starts out at a team friendly $10 million in 2017 and 2018, then jumps to $18 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Should Jansen stay with the team for all five-years of the deal, he would receive $21 million in 2021.
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Turner's deal was inked at four-years, $64 million, the fourth highest of all free agent position players this offseason. He also will receiver a $4 million signing bonus as was originally reported by The Associated Press, and like Jansen, his contract is exponential as it starts at $12 million for the first two years and then leaps to $18 and $19 million in the final two years.
