Part of the offseason plan for the Los Angeles Dodgers is the addition of starting pitching and high-leverage bullpen pieces.
Blake Snell fit the bill for the starters, being one of the most coveted names signed this winter. He joined the Dodgers staff on a five-year, $182 million contract. The Dodgers are still expected to pursue more rotation help, and that will eventually include re-signing Clayton Kershaw.
The 36-year-old missed a sizable portion of the 2024 season, making just seven starts, the lowest number in his 17-year Major League career. Kershaw then underwent surgery to his left foot and also a meniscus repair in his left knee in early November.
But with an expected clean runway ahead of him, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Kershaw is making progress toward getting healthy and returning at some point during the 2025 season, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group:
“He’s continuing to heal and build up from the procedures he’s had,” Gomes said. “We’ll just stay in touch. As I said, I hope and our expectation is that Clayton will be back next year, and whenever he’s ready, if we’re fortunate enough to bring him back, we’ll plug him in.”
Kershaw was shut down in August and couldn’t make a comeback to pitch during the Dodgers’ postseason run that was capped off with a World Series title.
In his career, Kershaw has compiled 79.4 WAR, good for 68th on the all-time leaderboard. During the team’s World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw expressed a desire to only play for the Dodgers to finish his career.
Outlook for Clayton Kershaw in 2025
Kershaw’s performance left a lot to be desired this past season, but much of that came from injuries having a negative impact on hi his pitching.
For where the Dodgers would like him to be, is at least provide quality innings with the possibility to pitch later into the season. If Kershaw’s body checks to right boxes early on, then it’s just about if he can perform at peak levels to make the organization feel good about him facing playoff offenses.
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