The Los Angeles Dodgers had several free agents who were eligible to be extended the qualifying offer this winter, though only Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager and Chris Taylor were the likely candidates.
Seager and Turner did tender the one-year, $18.4 million contract to Seager and Taylor prior to the deadline, but Kershaw remains a free agent without any potential draft pick compensation associated to him.
“DodgerHeads” host Jeff Spiegel was joined by DodgerBlue.com managing editor Matthew Moreno to discuss and analyze the Dodgers’ curious decision.
There are multiple scenarios that could explain the Dodgers not extending the one-year pact to Kershaw, ranging from injury concerns to a possible show of respect by allowing his free agency process to be unencumbered.
Spiegel and Moreno also believe it’s plausible Kershaw and the Dodgers have an understanding that a multi-year contract will eventually be agreed to, and it simply is prudent to allow for more time to recover from a left flexor issue and the MLB collective bargaining agreement matter to be resolved.
Kershaw confident in recovery process
Although Kershaw suffered a setback in his initial recovery from a flexor issue and then made just four starts before being shut down for the remainder of the year, he is confident a platelet-rich plasma injection (PRP) injection will remedy the issue.
“That’s going to be my treatment,” Kershaw said last month. “I’m going to rest and let it heal. I’m not going to get surgery on it or anything. Everybody I’ve talked to, all the doctors and everything, feel good that I’ll be good to go by Spring Training, so that’s the plan. … I just talked to a lot of people and been on the phone a lot.
“I feel good about it.”
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