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Kershaw, Jansen, Ellis file for arbitration

Dodgers, Cy Young winner remain in negotiations for long-term deal

LOS ANGELES -- National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, closer Kenley Jansen and catcher A.J. Ellis filed for salary arbitration on Tuesday.

Kershaw, coming off his second Cy Young win, is eligible for arbitration for the final time and is currently on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. To prevent that from happening, the Dodgers and Kershaw have been in discussions over a record-breaking deal that could pay $30 million per season for as many as 10 years. Through arbitration, Kershaw is estimated to earn roughly $18 million coming off a two-year, $19 million contract.

Jansen is in line for a raise from $512,000 to approximately $4.5 million after reclaiming the ninth-inning role for the second time. This is his first year of arbitration eligibility.

Ellis is heading into his third season as the starting catcher and figures to improve his salary from $2 million last year to more than $3 million in his second arbitration season.

The next step occurs Friday, when players and clubs exchange proposals for a one-year contract. According to procedure, each player to file is considered signed. But there's no set salary until a compromise is reached, before or after the player and his club exchange figures. If no settlement ensues, the case goes before an arbitration panel, which awards the player with either his salary proposal or the club's after each side states its case. Arbitration hearings will be scheduled between Feb. 1-21.

Since the inception of salary arbitration 38 years ago, the Dodgers are 14-6 in cases decided by a hearing and 6-1 in their last seven cases dating to 1991. That includes the most recent wins over Joe Beimel in 2007 and Eric Gagne in '04.

The last player to win a hearing against the Dodgers was Terry Adams in '01. The club's first arbitration case was in 1975, when Ron Cey was awarded a salary of $56,000 instead of the club's submission of $47,000.

All 133 Major League players who filed for arbitration last year settled with their respective clubs and avoided hearings.

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Los Angeles Dodgers, Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw, A.J. Ellis