Clayton Kershaw can earn up to $22M as part of 2022 Dodgers' deal

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Clayton Kershaw can earn $5 million in performance bonuses for starts as part of his new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which would raise his earnings to $22 million.

Kershaw's deal, finalized Sunday, calls for a $2.5 million signing bonus, payable within 15 days of the deal's approval by the commissioner's office. He gets a $14.5 million salary and would earn $1 million apiece for 16, 20, 22, 24 and 26 starts.

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The 33-year-old left-hander was coming off a $93 million, three-year deal.

"We’re a part of something special here, we know that,’’ Kershaw said Sunday. "The playoffs are an expectation here, and the World Series is almost an expectation at this point. Not a lot of teams can say that, year in and year out."

"Sometimes it does not go your way and it hurts, but the chance to be there is worth it. … I wouldn’t trade that for anything. You can’t say that about a lot of organizations," he said. "You’re even seeing it now; teams are trading guys, teams are getting rid of guys that they probably shouldn’t if they really want to win. Overall, I think it is a special thing to be here.’’

Between free agency and the lockout, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was in limbo for more than three months. Yet the extra time was a blessing in disguise as Kershaw rested his forearm and his elbow until Jan. 1 and then began throwing.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw warms up during a spring training baseball workout Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Phoenix.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

"Without the distraction of figuring out where to play, it gave me time to figure it out,’’ he said.