The Los Angeles Dodgers are still in the market for another starting pitcher this offseason despite having already added Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow to their rotation.
Clayton Kershaw is among the top remaining free agents, but hasn’t had much of a market due to the fact he will be sidelined until at least the second half of the 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
With the future Hall of Famer indicating that he wants to continue his career, it is believed he will once again decide between re-signing with the Dodgers or joining his hometown Texas Rangers.
Even after committing more than $1.1 billion to players this winter, Jim Bowden of The Athletic said the Dodgers are open to Kershaw returning:
The Dodgers have told me they are keeping the door open for a Kershaw return and hope he decides to finish his career as a Dodger.
Kershaw proved he could still be an effective starter when healthy, going 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 24 starts during the 2023 season. He missed six weeks due to an unspecified left shoulder injury that impacted his fastball velocity and command in the second half.
Kershaw ended the season with the worst start of his career in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he allowed six runs and recorded just one out before being removed in the first inning.
Kershaw re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year contract in each of the past two offseasons, and will likely sign another one-year deal this time around due to his preference of taking things on a year-to-year basis.
Shoulder surgery not ‘deterring’ Rangers from pursuing Clayton Kershaw
Despite already having a crowded injured list with Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Max Scherzer expected to miss the first half of the 2024 season, the Rangers remain interested in signing Kershaw.
Texas is coming off their first World Series title in franchise history and has plenty of pitching depth to withstand the absences of their injured starters. Signing with Texas would allow the 35-year-old to pitch closer to home and reunite him with several of his former Dodgers teammates.
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