Update:
7:13 p.m. Nov. 10, 2022: Clayton Kershaw is nearing a one-year deal with the Dodgers that is similar to the $17-million contract he signed before last season, according to two people familiar with negotiations but not authorized to speak publicly about them. The deal is expected to be finalized over the next few days.
Just like last winter, the Dodgers are giving Clayton Kershaw plenty of time to contemplate his future.
The latest evidence came Thursday, when the team declined to extend the future Hall of Famer a qualifying offer for the second consecutive offseason.
Had the Dodgers done so, Kershaw would have had 10 days to decide whether to accept a one-year, $19.65-million contract for the 2023 season. If Kershaw chose to decline it, the club would have been able to recoup draft pick compensation in the event he signs elsewhere as a free agent.
However, just as they did when Kershaw entered free agency for the first time last year, the Dodgers withheld the qualifying offer before Thursday’s deadline, ensuring the pitcher won’t have to make a major decision on his future at the outset of the offseason.
If Justin Turner is going to return to the Dodgers for a 10th season next year, his agents and the club’s front office will have to negotiate a new contract for the veteran third baseman.
That became the reality Thursday, after the Dodgers declined Turner’s 2023 club option of $16 million and elected to instead pay a $2-million buyout that will make him a free agent this winter.
The Dodgers are still hopeful of bringing Turner back. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said as much this week at the league’s general manager meetings, indicating the club will attempt to negotiate a new contract for the soon-to-be 38-year-old Turner.
“The priority is that we show up in Glendale [Ariz., for spring training] and for him to be a part of what we’re doing next year,” Friedman said.
With their other qualifying offer decisions, the Dodgers did extend offers to shortstop Trea Turner and pitcher Tyler Anderson prior to Thursday’s deadline.
Trea Turner’s qualifying offer was a no-brainer, with the shortstop certain to decline the offer and instead enter free agency, where he is in line to net a massive payday as one of this winter’s biggest available…