Clayton Kershaw Contract Option Deadline Extended by SP, Dodgers

Facing a midnight deadline to exercise his contract option, Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to extend the window. 

Per an announcement from the Dodgers, Kershaw now has until 4 p.m. ET on Friday to decide if he will opt in to the final two years of his deal or become a free agent. 

If Kershaw opts in to his deal, the three-time National League Cy Young winner will earn $65 million through the 2020 season. 

Among the potential factors causing Kershaw to delay his decision are health and performance. The 30-year-old has spent time on the disabled list in each of the past three seasons and has reached the 200-inning mark just once since 2014. 

The 2018 season saw Kershaw become a different kind of pitcher. His average fastball velocity of 90.9 mph was the lowest of his career, leading to him throwing more sliders than ever before (42.3 percent), per FanGraphs. 

Despite the injuries and diminished velocity, Kershaw remained terrific with a 2.73 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 161.1 innings this season. 

The Dodgers are the only franchise Kershaw has ever known. Since making his MLB debut in 2008, he has made the NL All-Star team seven times and won five ERA titles, and in 2014, he became the first NL pitcher to be named MVP since Bob Gibson (1968).