Okay, that's not actually what it says. But that's basically what it says. Earlier Tuesday, Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a two-year contract worth $19 million. The contract buys out two of Kershaw's arbitration years, leaving the third and final one untouched. Here's Dave Cameron on what it means:
FanGraphs: Clayton Kershaw Contract Not Very Interesting
Essentially, Kershaw offered the Dodgers the potential to save a couple of million on his 2013 salary – and avoid the never-fun arbitration hearings – in exchange for giving him a little more security in case he blows his arm out at some point this year. The Dodgers weren’t able to delay his free agency, or even buy out his final arbitration year, but they get a little bit of cost certainty for the next couple of years.
Blah blah blah. Bor-ing. Cost certainty and risk. Got it. Here’s the part of Cameron’s post I really wanted to highlight:
[...] this is probably a better path for elite young arms – establish yourself as a star, then sell off a bit of your arbitration earnings to get rid of some risk, and still set yourself up for the monster payday that comes with free agent eligibility.
The Dave Cameron Path To Life Success:
- Be awesome
- Make some money
- Make a lot of money
Remember, kids, all you gotta do is be awesome. Be awesome, and make sure you’re awesome for a while without getting hurt. Getting hurt is a total bummer.
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