Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Andre Ethier to a five-year contract extension, locking up the right fielder before he hit the market as a free agent.
The deal, which runs through the 2017 season, was announced Tuesday.
Ethier will make $85 million, according to various reports on the details of the contract. A vesting option for 2018 would push the overall value past $100 million.
Ethier wanted to continue playing in Los Angeles, where he reached the National League Championship Series twice in his career.
"I've said it before, but this is the place I've wanted to be all along and I hope to finish my career in Los Angeles playing for these fans that I have developed such a special bond with," Ethier said. "Now we just have to go out and finish our goal of winning a World Championship."
Ethier, 30, is a two-time All-Star. He batted .292 in each of the last two seasons and was hitting .287 this year when the contract was announced with an NL-best 53 RBI.
He had 119 homers, 499 RBI, a .291 average and .363 on-base percentage in 915 career games through Monday, all with the Dodgers.
Ethier's 2011 season was cut short by knee surgery in mid-September. He had a 30-game hitting streak last year and won a Gold Glove for the first time along with teammates Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw.
The Dodgers avoided arbitration with Ethier in the offseason, ironing out a deal in January worth a reported $10.95 million with performance incentives. He would have been eligible for free agency after this season.
Ethier's deal comes almost seven months after the team signed center fielder Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million extension to set a Dodgers record.
The outfielders both rank in the top five in All-Star voting for the National League; Kemp, despite his trips to the disabled list, leads all NL players.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.