Report: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers ‘making progress’ on new deal

PITTSBURGH -- The last we heard anything about Clayton Kershaw’s potential contract extension, it was shortly after opening day, when The Times reported that nothing was imminent.

Well, it looks as if Kershaw and the Dodgers are moving toward a deal.

Exactly how close the two sides are remains unknown, but Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports is reporting they are “making progress” on a seven-year contract extension. Citing unnamed major league sources, Rosenthal is reporting the potential deal would be worth more than the record $180-million contract Justin Verlander signed with the Detroit Tigers this year.

Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti declined to comment on the report.

When spring training opened, Kershaw said he didn’t want to negotiate a new deal during the season. But that stance appears to have changed.

Kershaw will be eligible for salary arbitration next season. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. The Dodgers figure to want him locked up before he hits the open market.

Whether it’s smart business to pay that much money over that long a period is up for debate. Bill Shaikin weighed in on the subject in a column that ran in the Sunday edition of The Times. Shaikin’s verdict: “Pay the man.”