The past few years have seen Clayton Kershaw evaluate his future at the end of each season before ultimately re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A wrench was thrown into that last year as Kershaw required surgery on his left shoulder to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule. The purpose of the glenohumeral ligaments is to provide strength and stability in the shoulder.
Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery but there was speculation Kershaw would ultimately decide to sign with the Texas Rangers, as had been speculated about for multiple years.
He instead re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year contract that included a player option for the 2025 season.
Kershaw now had a decision to make on his player option, and has decided to decline it, making him a free agent. The value of Kershaw’s contract option for 2025 was determined by incentives from this year, which he didn’t make much progress on because of a bone spur in his left big toe.
This offseason is the fourth consecutive year Kershaw is a Dodgers free agent. He has been injured after the 2021, 2023 and 2024 seasons during that span.
Patience from Dodgers president of baseball operations and the MLB lockout were helpful for Kershaw as he evaluated his health and mulled free agency options in the past. But there’s much more clarity this time around as Kershaw not only made it clear he wasn’t retiring, but that returning next season was going to come with the Dodgers.
The only question, he admitted, was what type of Dodgers contract that would be under. The decision to decline his option also gives the Dodgers extra flexibility on their 40-man roster, which was likely discussed between the southpaw and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
The Dodgers will be dealing with a roster crunch as all their players who were previously on the 60-day injured list need to be added back onto the 40-man. They also need to fill out their roster this offseason to prepare for the 2025 season.
It’s just a matter of when Kershaw will sign a new deal with the Dodgers, rather than if, and that could come during Spring Training once the 60-day injured list is an option again, or it could come after the Dodgers make a trade to clear some roster space.
Kershaw went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA, 3.53 FIP and 1.50 WHIP in just seven starts this year.
Clayton Kershaw’s offseason surgeries
After basking in the celebration of the Dodgers’ World Series parade, Kershaw revealed he will undergo surgery on his left foot and left knee.
In addition to the bone spur issue in his toe, Kershaw believes he may have ruptured the plantar plate as well and could also be suffering from arthritis.
The left knee issue is due to a torn meniscus that was discovered after Kershaw requested an MRI because it had become bothersome.
Dr. ElAttrache is going to operate on Kershaw’s knee, Dr. Kenneth Jung will take care of his foot.
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