Worth It?

The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw signed a seven year, $215 million contract in January.  For that money, LA got a number one starter who went 21-3 on the season with a 1.77 ERA, good enough to be a lock for the Cy Young Award in the National League.  Too bad Kershaw lost both his starts against St. Louis in the NLDS.  In fact, Kershaw has gone 1-5 in the postseason, his ERA a very embarrassing 5.12.  Unless things change fast, Kershaw will find himself wearing the label of an expensive choke.

Bryce Harper is in the fourth year of a five-year, $9.9 million deal from when he was drafted by the Nationals in 2010.  The contract expires before Harper can become a free agent, so arbitration time should become interesting.  Harper went 5 for 17 in the Nats’ four-game series loss to the Giants.  Three of those hits were homeruns and one a double.  Mike Trout, who signed a six-year $144.5 million extension with the Angels before the season started, went 1 for 12 in the Royals’ three-game sweep of LA.  What goes for Clayton Kershaw applies to Trout.

Was Harper the “hungriest” of the three young players, or were the differing performances all a coincidence?  You decide.  For me, I’m just happy in a perverse sort of way that the White Sox missed the postseason.  Why?  Because none of the Kershaw questions can be asked of Chris Sale.  I want Sale to be on a can’t-miss team come the postseason.

Of course, that may never happen.