Dodgers avoid arbitration with Billingsley and Kemp
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have avoided arbitration with two of their young stars, as they signed right-hander Chad Billingsley to a one-year deal and outfielder Matt Kemp to two-year pact.
Financial details were not known.
Billingsley, whose offseason a year ago was marred by a broken tibia suffered from a fall on the ice, posted a 9-4 mark with a 3.38 earned run average over the first half of last season, earning him a spot on the National League All- Star team. However, he struggled after the break, going 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA and was winless in his final seven starts of the year.
The 25-year-old hurler, who was a first round pick of the Dodgers in 2003, is 47-30 lifetime with a 3.55 ERA in 129 games, 100 of which have been starts.
Kemp, meanwhile, becomes the first arbitration-eligible Dodger to receive a multi-year contract since 2005. He is coming off his best full year as a pro, as he posted career bests with 26 home runs and 101 RBI, while hitting .297.
For his career, the 25-year-old Kemp is a .299 hitter with a 61 home runs and 242 RBI in 464 games.