Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal broke the news on Monday that the Dodgers and outfielder Matt Kemp have come to terms on an eight-year contract extension. The deal is reportedly worth $160 million, and according to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, the deal is likely to have a full no-trade clause.
Kemp has been a solid player for his young career, but the 27-year-old really broke out in 2011. He's one of the favorites to win the NL MVP after flirting with the Triple Crown in an otherwise forgettable season for the Dodgers. Kemp hit .324 and led the NL in home runs (39) and RBIs (126.) He also won a Gold Glove.
Kemp's new annual salary will be right on pace with some of the most recent big contracts doled out to outfielders. The Nationals surprisingly set the free-agent market for last offseason when they inked Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million deal that pays him $18 million per season. Then, the Red Sox handed Carl Crawford a seven-year, $142 million deal that gives him an average of just over $20 million per season annually.
So while Kemp isn't quite making what Crawford makes annually — at least in terms of average salary per season — he does have that extra year on his contract. That contract is the seventh-highest deal in major league history and it ties Manny Ramirez's deal that brought him to Boston prior to the 2001 season.
The Dodgers are currently in the process of finding a new owner after Frank McCourt finally agreed to sell the struggling franchise.
