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//  Friday, March 12, 2010

Kemp Signs Two-Year Extension with Dodgers

Friday, January 15, 2010
Posted by Andy Ouriel

The Los Angeles Dodgers know they have a special player roaming the center field pastures of Dodger Stadium. But they also know when Matt Kemp enters arbitration for the first time in his career, he could get very expensive.

On Friday the Dodgers solved that problem by signing Kemp to a two-year extension through 2011 worth $10.95 million, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

The contract buys out Kemp's first two years of arbitration. If he does not sign another contract in the next two years, Kemp will remain under team control and will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.

The signing accomplishes two tasks. 

First, it gives Kemp more money than he had previously received in his four-year career. Kemp will make more than double what he had made in his first four years with 2010's salary.

Second, it ensures the Dodgers of cost certainty. Kemp, who won his first Golden Glove and Silver Slugger Awards last season, could be very costly if he keeps putting up prolific statistics. The 25-year-old set career highs last season in home runs (26) RBIs (101) and base hits (180). He also had 34 stolen bases and a .297 batting average. 

The extension is comparable to fellow outfielders Nick Markakis and Carlos Beltran who both signed two-year extension entering their first year of arbitration. According to a MLBTradeRumors investigation, Beltran earned $9.5 million from 2002-03 and Markakis received $3 million in 2009 and stands to earn $6.75 million this season.

MLB.com's Ken Gurnick said the Dodgers would also like to begin negotiations with Andre Ethier, Jonathan Broxton and James Lonely. 

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