Clayton Kershaw has his salary arbitration hearing reportedly scheduled for 12 days from today, on Valentine's Day. He is seeking a $10 million salary for 2012, while the Dodgers are seeking to pay him $6.5 million. There is plenty of time between now and then for the two sides to come together on an agreement, whether it be for a one-year or a multi-year pact.
My question to you is two-fold:
1) What will Clayton Kershaw's salary be in 2012 (if you think he will sign a multi-year deal, you can include the signing bonus as part of his 2012 salary)
2) What date will the Kershaw contract become official (if you think Kershaw and the Dodgers will go through with the arbitration case, guess February 14)
Please enter your guesses in the comments, for example:
$10 million
February 14
My guess: Kershaw will sign a one-year, $8.5 million contract on February 8.