Two single team veterans reached deals to remain in place for the near future. First, Clayton Kershaw agreed to a one-year deal with the Dodgers with an option for a second season.
Kershaw, who turns 36 in March, will take his physical at the Dodgers’ spring training complex in Glendale, Arizona, within the next day or two, a source told ESPN. The Athletic reported that he will sign a one-year contract that includes a player option for 2025, creating the possibility that he could pitch in the same rotation as Shohei Ohtani next year.
Kershaw will spend at least the first half of the year recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
ESPN.com
The injuries keep diminishing Kershaw’s playing time, and one would think that at some point he might just want to avoid those and find a new line of work.
Meanwhile, Jose Altuve signed a five-year deal with the Astros:
The deal is worth $125 million, sources told ESPN, taking him all the way through his age-39 season.
“He’s a franchise-type player; one of the best in Houston history,” owner Jim Crane said at the owners meetings in Orlando. “And we hope someday he’s a Hall of Famer.”
The Astros announced the agreement on social media, calling their superstar an “Astro For Life.” The 33-year-old Altuve was heading into his final year before free agency. His new deal begins in 2025 and takes him through 2029.
ESPN.com
With the exception of the pandemic shortened 2020 season, Altuve posted fWARs of at least 4.0 every season since 2014. That’s an impressive run. The five year deal values him at about 2.25 WAR per year, which seems entirely reasonable.
For players whose last season was 1969 or later (including active players) 120 played for one team (minimum 10 seasons). Note that they didn’t need to be stars. Nick Ahmed, Gates Brown, Brett Gardner, Ed Kranepool, and Biff Pocoroba are all on the list. Still, there is a lot of greatness in the group, and it looks like Kershaw and Altuve will someday be permanently in the list.
