Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Andre
Ethier to a five-year contract extension, locking up the right fielder before
he hit the market as a free agent.
The deal, which runs through the 2017 season, was announced Tuesday.
Ethier will make $85 million, according to various reports on the details of
the contract. A vesting option for 2018 would push the overall value past $100
million.
Ethier wanted to continue playing in Los Angeles, where he reached the
National League Championship Series twice in his career.
"I've said it before, but this is the place I've wanted to be all along and I
hope to finish my career in Los Angeles playing for these fans that I have
developed such a special bond with," Ethier said. "Now we just have to go out
and finish our goal of winning a World
Championship."
Ethier, 30, is a two-time All-Star. He batted .292 in each of the last
two seasons and was hitting .287 this year when the contract was announced
with an NL-best 53 RBI.
He had 119 homers, 499 RBI, a .291 average and .363 on-base percentage in 915
career games through Monday, all with the Dodgers.
Ethier's 2011 season was cut short by knee surgery in mid-September. He had a
30-game hitting streak last year and won a Gold Glove for the first time along
with teammates Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw.
The Dodgers avoided arbitration with Ethier in the offseason, ironing out a
deal in January worth a reported $10.95 million with performance incentives.
He would have been eligible for free agency after this season.
Ethier's deal comes almost seven months after the team signed center fielder
Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million extension to set a Dodgers record.
The outfielders both rank in the top five in All-Star voting for the National
League; Kemp, despite his trips to the disabled list, leads all NL players.
The Sports Network