Why the Dodgers are bound to trade for Chris Archer this season
By Jason Reed
2. The Los Angeles Dodgers need padding for a potential Clayton Kershaw departure
Clayton Kershaw can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2018 season. And chances are, Kershaw is going to exercise that option.
That does not mean he will walk away, though. Kershaw could opt out of the deal to restructure a long, and hefty, contract that will give him security. There is no better time to negotiate a deal than while you are still in your prime and Kershaw can guarantee himself security in years to come by opting out and negotiating now.
However, that does not mean that Kershaw is sure-fire going to return to the Los Angeles. The ball is entirely in his court. And if the Dodgers come up short yet again, well, perhaps Kershaw does take off to a team he sees as a better fit. I highly doubt it, but he can do that.
And just that possibility is worrisome. The Dodgers need to prepare for life after Clayton Kershaw, even if that life will likely come in many years. Bringing in Chris Archer directly helps that cause. Archer can be an ace and should be very special in Rick Honeycutt’s system.
Plus, the Dodgers cannot entirely bank on what they have to fill the ace void. Alex Wood is not an ace. Walker Buehler is still years away from being a frontline starter and Julio Urias is coming off of a very scary shoulder surgery.
Urias has been built up in the farm as the eventual successor to Kershaw’s throne. However, that is now in question. Bringing in Archer, at the very least, will help that void and will allow LA to contend even without Kershaw.