How Clayton Kershaw Spent $60 Million

Clayton Kershaw is the highest-paid MLB pitcher in the game today, with a contract that earns him about $30 million per year. His net worth is about $60 million, but Kershaw has earned himself multi-million dollar contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers that include a $23 million signing bonus. With earnings like that, this athlete has been able to buy himself a gorgeous mansion at only 26, and he's been able to enjoy a life of luxury when he's not busy on the field. Here's how one of the most successful Major League athletes of today spends all his cash. Clayton Kershaw has been playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008, and he's still going strong. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is one of the most valuable players in the game and has the highest career winning percentage of any active pitcher. Those skills have earned him top dollar, filling his bank account with millions and millions of dollars each season. Kershaw has a net worth of about $60 million, but his career earnings are estimated to be about $228 million as of 2020. This is due to his multiple million-dollar contracts with the Dodgers. In 2014, he agreed to a seven-year, $215 million contract extension, which was the highest ever for a pitcher. In November of 2018, he opted out of that particular pact and negotiated himself a brand new deal, a three-year, $93 million extension to his already impressive contract. The new contract even included a $23 million signing bonus paid out in three equal installments from 2019 to 2021. If only all jobs were that generous with bonuses. All of Kershaw's negotiation powers have landed him in a pretty fortunate position in the world of professional athletes. In 2020, Forbes even declared him the 57th highest paid athlete of the year. At the height of his career, Kershaw was making about $33 million each year. With his new contract, he's making about $30.7 million annually, which is incredibly impressive for someone who's been in the game as long as he has. His new deal also contains performance bonuses. He makes $1 million each for making 24, 26, 28, and 30 starts each season. He raked in $3 million in bonuses in 2019 alone. But not every cent of Kershaw's fortune comes from playing the game. His great reputation and astonishing career have also earned him a lot of endorsement deals with major sports companies like Under Armour, Topps, and Wilson's Sporting Goods. In 2019, he actually parted ways with Under Armour to grab himself an even better deal with Skechers, which included him developing his own styles for a collection and even designing an exclusive baseball cleat that he'll wear during games. So far, he's made about $750,000 in 2020 from endorsements, and his full collaboration with Skechers is expected to drop within the next year. He has already appeared in some ad campaigns for the company, and we've got some images of what his new shoes will look like. The cleats feature Kershaw's number 22 and a CCC decal in honor of his three children. His deal with Skechers puts him up there with other major athletes who have scored partnerships with the brand, including MLB Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, former NFL quarterback Tony Romo, and NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky. Kershaw's unique blue cleats are his own, but an exclusive training shoe designed by the pitcher will be available in retail stores soon if you really want to get your hands on a pair. Kershaw is a self-declared family man, but all his teammates will agree his entire image is pretty wholesome. Of course, his mansions have to have room for his growing family, and it's no surprise that he knows his way around the real estate market. One of the first homes he bought is a comfortable mansion in Dallas, Texas. Located in the Dallas enclave of University Park, where Kershaw grew up, the 5,354-square-foot home features all the comforts a successful Major League Baseball career can buy. The mansion was built in 2005 and has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, with two half-baths. There's a sprawling backyard with a patio area, complete with a grill for backyard cookouts, and a luxurious heated pool and spa. The home also features rustic stone and dark wood, as well as lots of greenery and windows that overlook the spacious backyard. Kershaw recently sold the home for $1,739,000, and has been spending most of his time at his even nicer mansion, his $4 million Studio City pad. Almost every celebrity has to try and up their real estate game by moving closer to Hollywood, so it's no surprise that Kershaw's mansion in L.A. is even bigger than his Dallas digs, with five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. Kershaw and his wife Ellen bought this home when he was only 26 years old, just after the birth of their very first child. The first thing you notice about this property is that circular driveway that lets everyone know the family living there must be rolling in money. Guests are also welcomed by a deep, comfortable porch before they step foot inside the 5,988 square foot residence. The first thing you'll probably notice about the mansion itself is all the space, which seems even larger with the clean, white paint job. There's a huge family room, complete with a fireplace and a large, flat-screen television where Kershaw's wife can catch all his games. There's also a huge kitchen that's just begging to be cooked in. It's decked out with quartz countertops and everything you would need to really enjoy life as a home chef, including two porcelain sinks, two dishwashers, a massive center island, a breakfast table that seats six, and the most important thing for any young parents, a built-in espresso machine. As for the master suite, there's a walk-in closet decked out with mirrors and wardrobes galore, as well as a roomy, en-suite master bath. The mansion also features some great spots for entertainment. There's a bar, a climate-controlled wine cellar, and there's even a large, private movie theater complete with comfy chairs and a popcorn machine. The theater uses a widescreen projection system, and it features recliners with integrated LED-lit drink wells. But not everything can be fun and games, and even an athlete's gotta deal with office work sometimes. Kershaw is probably thankful for his backroom office, with its computer desk and built-in bookshelves. The office also has windows overlooking the huge backyard. The backyard itself is also perfect for entertaining. There's an in-ground pool and a spacious outdoor seating area built around another fireplace. There's also an outdoor dining area complete with a grill, a fridge, and a serving bar, and there's lots of green grass for the kids to enjoy. The mansion also features a garage, but Clayton Kershaw is surprisingly modest when it comes to cars. The man could be driving an Audi or even a Rolls-Royce, but he has said multiple times that his vehicle of choice is an Acura MDX. But he does try to stay up to date with the latest model. He'll be updating to the 2022 model when it gets released, and it's estimated to be worth around $50,000. He also has a Chevrolet Tahoe that he loves. That one is also worth about $50,000. But let's be real, if you made the kind of money Kershaw does, what kinds of cars would you be driving? L.A. might be Kershaw's preferred home, but his real estate portfolio keeps growing with his net worth. Back in January, he and his wife bought themselves a $1.95 million Oceanfront condo in Florida. Though this condo is being kept pretty private, we can tell you it takes up the entirety of the building's fifth floor and features country French decor and lots of antiques. The 4,800 square feet living space also has five bedrooms and six bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, an elevator entrance, and a master wing with a huge bedroom, his and hers bathrooms, and a private office. Each bedroom also has a balcony with gorgeous views of the water. So whether he's in Florida, Texas, or L.A., Kershaw is definitely making himself feel at home in one of his luxury living spaces. Kershaw's love for modest SUVs and big spacious homes just demonstrates how much this man loves his family. The money he spends usually benefits all of them, so you won't see him partying it up like crazy with his teammates every weekend. Instead, he spends a lot of time with his wife and three kids, the youngest of which is not even a year old yet. He and his wife started dating in high school and married in 2010. He spends at least $10,000 every year on nice family vacations, with some of his favorite choices being South Beach, Florida and the Caribbean. It can be pretty hard to be a famous athlete and a family man at the same time, though. Kershaw has opened up to ESPN about how he got used to Major League fans tracking his every move when he was on the road to play ball. He used to check into hotels under his real name, but he would get followed around by eagerly waiting fans. Now he goes with aliases from television shows like Jim Halpert and even Walter White. He even orders food under different names so people don't show up to wait for him when he picks it up. And yes, he might be rich, but he still hops into his Tahoe to go pick up his breakfast and morning coffee before heading to the gym, just like everyone else. One of Kershaw's passions besides playing baseball is actually charity work. He and his wife hold an annual Ping-Pong for Purpose fundraising event every May at Dodger Stadium. The profits from this event go to Kershaw's Challenge, which is his family's non-profit organization that helps vulnerable and at-risk children living all over the world in areas like Los Angeles, Dallas, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic. The organization raised $2 million last year alone and has raised more than $12 million since it began back in 2012. Of course, 2020 has been a bit weird when it comes to any in-person events, including fundraiser events. Instead of holding the tournament this year, Kershaw decided to match every dollar donated to the organization through April 28th. Clayton also has decided to participate in Zoom calls with 15 lucky fans. Five of them will be selected randomly, while the other 10 will get 10 minutes in exchange for making a $5,000 donation to charity. Would you be willing to spend $5,000 to speak with The Claw himself? It's for a good cause, after all. So what's next for Kershaw besides a monumental deal with Skechers? The circumstances of 2020 may have made the Major League season a little weird, but he's been using it to spend more time with his family, with plans for a huge family vacation as soon as it's all over. As an eight-time All-Star and the 2014 National League Most Valuable Player, he doesn't plan to part ways with the Dodgers anytime soon. There might be some huge career achievements still in the future for the legendary Claw, but we'll just have to wait and see what the new career milestones and luxury lifestyle choices await this MLB superstar. What would you do if you made the kind of money Kershaw does? 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