Read More: James Loney (1B – LOS), Andre Ethier (RF – LOS), Hong-Chih Kuo (P – LOS), Clayton Kershaw (P – LOS), Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night non-tendered relief pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo, making the dean of the Dodgers a free agent. On the deadline day to tender 2012 contracts to all unsigned players, the Dodgers did tender contracts to outfielder Andre Ethier, starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, and first baseman James Loney.

Kuo had a trying year in 2011, battling control problems that caused him to miss over a month on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder. One year after setting a Dodgers franchise record with a 1.20 ERA in 60 innings, Kuo put up a 9.00 ERA in 27 innings in 2011. Then, he ended the season by having arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow on October 28, the fifth surgery on his left elbow in his career.

Kuo was signed by the Dodgers out of high school in Taiwan in June 1999, making him the dean of the Dodgers. He made $2.725 million in 2011 and while he is now a free agent, general manager Ned Colletti has expressed interest in re-signing Kuo, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

Kershaw is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner and is arbitration eligible for the first time. He made $500,000 in 2011, but is expected to make at least $8 million in 2012. The 23-year old is a prime candidate for a long-term extension at some point this winter, though that may have to wait until the sale of the team is completed, a process that is expected to last until April.

Ethier made $9.25 million in 2011 in the final year of a two-year deal signed before the 2010 season. He hit .292/.368/.421 in 2011, but suffered a power outage with just 11 home runs in 551 plate appearances. Ethier battled a knee injury that ultimately required surgery in September and caused him to miss most of the final month of the season.

Loney was a clear candidate to be non-tendered in the first part of the season, hitting just .268/.311/.342 with four home runs in 91 games before the All-Star break. But a second half surge by Loney – .320/.380/.534 with 18 doubles and eight home runs in 67 games after the break – assured Loney of a job in 2012. He made $4.875 million last season.

The Dodgers have 39 players on their 40-man roster.

For more on Kuo and the other Dodgers tendered contract on Monday, be sure to read True Blue LA.

(CBS) – The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed OF Tony Gwynn Jr. to a $2 million, two-year contract, the team has announced.

Gwynn Jr. appeared in a 136 games with the Dodgers last year in his first season with the club.

The 29-year-old ranked among the league leaders with a .993 fielding percentage.

The team had until 9pm Monday night to offer Gwynn a contract or risk losing him to free-agency.

Los Angeles is expected to tender CY Young winner Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Ethier as well. James Loney and Hong-Chih Kuo are also waiting to hear from the team.

LOS ANGELES – Former Great Lakes Loon star Clayton Kershaw could net as much as $8 million in arbitration if he does not come to an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kershaw won the National League pitching triple crown, leading the league in strikeouts, ERA and wins, leading to the NL Cy Young Award.

The left-handed starter is eligible for arbitration and is expected to earn much more than the $500,000 salary he had in 2011.

So Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti approached Kershaw and his agents to see if they were interested in a long-term deal. Kershaw responded that he was.

mlb.com: “That’s the stage that that’s at,” he said. “We haven’t sat down and started to negotiate a deal. I have no idea what their financial interest is. All they said was a snappy ‘OK.’”

NEW YORK (AP) — After struggling for much of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are cruising when it comes to postseason honors.

Clayton Kershaw won his first NL Cy Young Award on Thursday, adding to the Gold Glove he won as the Dodgers collected three fielding awards in one year for the first time.

“I always dreamed about playing in the big leagues. I never dreamed about doing anything special in the big leagues. I don’t think any kid ever does,” Kershaw said. “The people I’m now associated with, just by having this award, is something that I never thought would ever happen.”

Kershaw received 27 of 32 first-place votes and 207 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, last year’s winner, was second with four first-place votes and 133 points. Phillies teammate Cliff Lee was third with 90 points, followed by Arizona’s Ian Kennedy with 76 points.

With a big curveball that might be the best in baseball, Kershaw won the NL’s pitching triple crown. On a team that went 82-79, he led the league with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts and with a 21-5 record tied Kennedy for most wins.

The 23-year-old left-hander, whose previous high for victories was 13 in 2010, dominated the league during the final two months of the season, going 8-0 with a 0.96 ERA in his final nine starts.

Kershaw was 5-0 against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, going 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA in head-to-head matchups with Tim Lincecum, the 2008 and 2009 winner.

Orel Hershiser, who won the 1988 Cy Young for the Dodgers, said Kershaw moved from “good to great.”

“He’s just scratching the surface of what he can become and I know he can reach much higher limits,” Hershiser said.

Kershaw’s .207 opponents’ batting average was the second-lowest in the major leagues among qualified pitchers, trailing only Detroit’s Justin Verlander (.192), the unanimous AL Cy Young winner. Kershaw was especially effective at Dodger Stadium, where he went 12-1 with the lowest home ERA in the big leagues at 1.69.

Los Angeles has a chance to sweep the two major NL awards. Matt Kemp is a favorite to win the MVP, which will be announced Tuesday.

It was the 10th Cy Young won by the Dodgers, following Don Newcombe (1956), Don Drysdale (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966), Mike Marshall (1974), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Hershiser and Eric Gagne (2003).

Kershaw doesn’t agree with comparisons to Koufax, the greatest left-handed in Dodgers history.

“I’m still uncomfortable with it,” he said. “I don’t want to have any disrespect for Mr. Koufax. He did it for a long time. He won a lot of awards and he won World Series. He threw no-hitters. Just a lot of things I’m not anywhere close to accomplishing yet. I have tremendous respect for him and would never want to ever put myself in the same category as him.”

A bargain with a $500,000 salary, Kershaw did not have a bonus provision. Halladay won $75,000 for finishing second and Lee $50,000 for finishing third.

A Dallas native who still lives in Texas, Kershaw said he comes from an area where “football is king.”

Still, if kids want to emulate him, they can play baseball in the springtime.

“Anything to stay away from lacrosse, in my opinion,” he said, laughing.

By Rich Linton, on November 17, 2011, at 12:28 pm

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston
Red Sox each earned three Gold Gloves, while nine players became
first-time recipients of the award for defensive play.

Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier won for the
Dodgers, the first time the National League team produced three
winners in a year.

Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury are the
first three Boston players to win the accolade in the same year
since Rick Burleson, Dwight Evans and Fred Lynn achieved the
feat for the Red Sox in 1979, Major League Baseball said on its
website last night.

Managers and coaches vote annually for the best fielding
performances at each position in the National and American
Leagues.

Yadier Molina of the World Series champion St. Louis
Cardinals won the NL catcher award for the fourth straight year,
while Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles claimed his first
award as Molina’s AL counterpart.

Mark Buehrle became the first pitcher in Chicago White Sox
history to win three Gold Gloves and the only player from the
club to claim three straight since Robin Ventura from 1991-93.

Other winners included Cincinnati Reds second baseman
Brandon Phillips, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado
Rockies, Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre and
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco.

Among first-time winners were left fielder Alex Gordon of
the Kansas City Royals, right fielder Nick Markakis of the
Orioles and Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar, who
unseated the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter, winner in five of
the past seven years in the AL.

In the NL, Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Gerardo Parra
and Reds first baseman Joey Votto won for the first time.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Dex McLuskey in Dallas at
dmcluskey@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.