Almost the same amount of the qualifying offer they chose not to offer. $350K apart.

Talk about a home team discount.

Fingers crossed that he'll retire a Dodger! One team HOFers are fun (especially pitchers, which are pretty rare)

Fingers crossed that he'll retire a Dodger! One team HOFers are fun (especially pitchers, which are pretty rare)

I'm with you completely on this. However, since we can't have nice things...

I eagerly anticipate his final, anti-climactic, injury-riddled 11-start season with the Mets where he almost throws a no-hitter in his second start but ends up with 5.23 ERA.

I think the only way Kershaw throws a pitch in another uniform is if he decides to. The Dodgers have the budget and the incentive, and he's still a good pitcher when he gets on the hill.

Check that, he's still an excellent pitcher when he gets on the hill. The trouble is you can only really count on him for ~120 innings anymore.

I'm being facetious above; I don't really think Kershaw will play for anyone else. I have a feeling that it's mutual - Kershaw has seemed almost ready to hang them up for a while, but the Dodgers keep wanting him back and he wants it enough to keep playing. When the Dodgers are ready to move on, I suspect Kershaw will call it a career. But you never know with highly competitive athletes.

Thought; use him as a Sunday pitcher; weekly, like Ted Lyons. But, even in limited usage Lyons had complete games. He completed almost 75 % of his starts lifetime; those last four seasons, looks like over 90% completed.

Maybe he'll find the motion that preserves his back.

6. 120 IP doesn't seem so low when the top starters are pitching 175

Also, who's pitched more innings the last 3 years (selective endpoints or some such garbage) Kerhsaw or JV?

6. 120 IP doesn't seem so low when the top starters are pitching 175

It's still only 2/3 of a season by that measure.

where he almost throws a no-hitter in his second start

”Almost” meaning he gets pulled with one out in the sixth.

It's still only 2/3 of a season by that measure.

Probably why he didn't get 30 million.

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He's a great regular season pitcher when healthy. His desire to live year to year for not so much money is a huge boon to the dodgers org design. I'm surprised more stars don't strike this deal with management - I'll give you a discount if you spend up to or over the cap to get us into playoffs. After a while, guys like kershaw have all the money they need. What they really want is World Series titles.

I'm surprised more stars don't strike this deal with management - I'll give you a discount if you spend up to or over the cap to get us into playoffs. After a while, guys like kershaw have all the money they need. What they really want is World Series titles.

The fact that more guys don't do this is probably a good indication that these guys really do care about the money. Whic is consistent with my observation over the years that (with a few exceptions) having made a lot of money doesn't make people want it any less.

The fact that more guys don't do this is probably a good indication that these guys really do care about the money. Whic is consistent with my observation over the years that (with a few exceptions) having made a lot of money doesn't make people want it any less.

I'd agree with that observation. It's likely a questions of self-selection. The people that end up making a lot of money do so because they are highly driven to achieve more, and more. Their self-worth is defined by achievement. Once they have $100M that doesn't go away.

People who aren't of that success driven/achievement mindset never get to $100M. They quit after $5-10M to enjoy life. If you offered me a job where I had to work 100 hours a week for $20M per year, I'd do it for exactly one year, and retire.

I'm surprised more stars don't strike this deal with management - I'll give you a discount if you spend up to or over the cap to get us into playoffs.

Because nobody can give a discount big enough to make a difference unless Scherzer is willing to pitch for league minimum. Kershaw giving the Dodgers a $10 M "discount" (i.e. recognizing he doesn't throw 180 innings a year anymore so not actually a discount) allows them to maybe add one $8 M player (plus lux tax penalty, plus repeat offender status). Or to paraphrase the Pirates: "Clayton Kershaw's request that we increase payroll will have zero impact on our decision making in this offseason or in the future.”

But sure, Kershaw knows the Dodgers will always be competitive and he'd probably rather pitch for them at $18 M than for the DBacks at $22 even if such an offer was on the table. I of course don't know Mr Kershaw but I do suspect it might be a very different story if the DBacks were offering 6/$180.