Clayton Kershaw was limited to seven starts this year due to a lengthy recovery from offseason left shoulder surgery and left big toe inflammation caused by a bone spur.
Kershaw hoped to be part of the Dodgers’ postseason run but revealed the injury actually worsened during his comeback attempt.
That left the 36-year-old on track to potentially reach free agency for the fourth consecutive offseason. Kershaw recently revealed that he has no plans to retire and would continue pitching in 2025. In previous winters, Kershaw’s most logical options were re-signing with the Dodgers or joining his hometown Texas Rangers.
However, Kershaw shared his intentions to remain under contract with the Dodgers next season, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I just thought everyone kind of assumed and knew I was coming back. I didn’t really think about it,” he said Tuesday at the Dodgers’ off-day workout at Citi Field.
Kershaw did make it clear he doesn’t plan to pitch for any other team.
“I’m going to be a Dodger,” he said.
Kershaw can forgo free agency by opting into his $15 million player option for the 2025 season, but he will discuss the best path to proceed with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman before making a decision:
“I think I’ll just kind of talk to Andrew, try to figure all that stuff out,” Kershaw said of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “Not exactly sure.”
With Kershaw’s future seemingly settled, his next major decision will be whether or not to get surgery on his toe.
“It’s definitely in the conversation,” he recently answered when asked if toe surgery will be necessary during the offseason. “I haven’t solidified anything yet, but there’s a chance I need to fix it.”
Jack Flaherty defends Clayton Kershaw’s playoff career
Kershaw has made 39 postseason appearances (32 starts) in his illustrious career, going 13-13 with a 4.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 194.1 innings.
Jack Flaherty recently defended the future Hall of Famer’s playoff track record and noted many of his dominant performances seem to get overlooked in favor of his struggles.
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