To be or not to be........extension for Ethier?

Nice start for the Dodgers.....

The holier-than-thous can say well....it's just the Pirates and Padres, two teams in perpetual rebuilding mode, but W's are W's, and you need all you can get when October rolls around.

We are also seeing another strong start from Andre Ethier. Can this be a contract-chasing big year for the guy who will be a free agent after the season, or is it a strong start by a guy who will break down physically and/or mentally by season's end?

The speculation is there because contract watchers are wondering if the Dodgers will give Ethier an extension this year. Should they or shouldn't they, and how much for how many years?

Put it this way.......I wouldn't want to be Ned Colletti or the guy on the Dodgers ownership (Stan Kasten?) who makes this decision. I wouldn't want to be Ethier either. It seems to me, unless one side gives away way more than they expect, this will not end well.

Ethier is in that free agent no man's land called age 30. Not old enough to be one of those thirtysomethings who live on the one-to-three year contracts, but not so young where you'll give him a Luis Pujols, Matt Kemp or Joey Votto-style long-term deal. Perhaps three to five years, twelve million or threabouts sounds sensible, but what does Ethier and his agent think?

Do they see him as the 2009 guy who played 160 games, hit 31 HR, had 106 RBI's and hit .272/.361/.508/.869, or a guy whose slugging percentage has declined each year since 2008, and hit only 11 HR last year? he was playing hurt much of the second half of last season, and played in less than 140 games the last two seasons?

Let's put it in persepective here- most teams would love to have a guy who will play in 135 games, hit 20+ homers and have a .370 OBP. But do you want to break the bank for him in hopes he'll have a couple of 2009-style years? It all comes down to what Ethier and his agent sees himself as, and of course, what the Dodgers brain trust see also.

It's hard to know what the new Dodger brass thinks, but it seems to me that they would sooner or later want to lock up Clayton Kershaw to a long-term deal, and perhaps in the off-season lock up another top-tier free agent pitcher (there are a few good ones- Cole Hamels, Matt Cain and Zack greinke come to mind...), so there probably isn't money to sign extra-long term a guy whose job will be to protect Kemp in the order.

Here's my hope- a three or four year deal worth 12-15 million (ha ha like I'm writing the checks here!), for a guy who is great protection for Kemp and when healthy an all-star caliber player in his own right. It all comes down to, what Ethier sees himself as, and what the new Dodger ownership see him as also.

My guess is, though, Ethier will want more years and money (which someone may very well pay him in the offseason), and the Dodger management will not see it that way, and things will not end well with those two.

We shall see....