Both Kershaw and Price Will Chose To Not Opt-Out Of Current Contracts

TheSportster

By Thomas Hall

Published Nov 1, 2018

Clayton Kershaw and David Price won't opt out of their current contracts and given their respective ages, that might be the smart move.

Red Sox pitcher, David Price, and Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, both had the opportunity to opt-out of their contracts after this season, but both have reportedly decided to stay where they are.

The deadline to decide on opt-out clauses came on Nov. 1, 2018, at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard time. Price made it very clear to the media even before the deadline that he had very little interest in opting out of his deal with the Red Sox.

Price is just coming off his first-ever World Series championship and also has four years left on his current contract. He will be paid $31 million next season, and $32 million for each of the following three seasons after that.

Up until this fall, pitching in the postseason has been a struggle for Price. In six games this postseason, Price had a 3.46 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. Most importantly, he pitched seven innings and surrendered only one run in game five of the World Series.

Now given all of that, it was still a no-brainier for Price not to opt-out. The market for pitchers over the age of 30 has diminished a lot in the past few years. Once a pitcher is over 30 years of age, he usually starts to decline.

So given that Price will be turning 34 next August, it's safe to assume he wouldn't be able to secure a higher paying contract than the one he already has.

Kershaw's opt-out situation is very different from Price's. Kershaw only has two years remaining on his current contract. He is owed over $34 million next season and over $35 million the season after that.

Although, if Kershaw officially doesn't opt-out of his contract, then he will get another opportunity to do so after next season. Kershaw is also turning 31 next March and knows full well about how pitchers older than 30 don't get the big contracts like they once did.

It has been reported that Kershaw is looking for an extension to stay with the Dodgers beyond the next two seasons. But, he wants that extension now rather than later so he won't lose any value with his age creeping over 30.

With the way the free-agent market is for pitchers over the age of 30, it was no surprise to hear that both Price and Kershaw would want to have guaranteed big money contracts, as they reach closer and closer to the end of their careers.