Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw grew up in the Dallas, Texas, area, so all throughout his career, there have been whispers that if he were ever to change organizations, he would join the Texas Rangers.
That was again the case this offseason as Kershaw had the ability to opt out of his contract and test free agency for the first time in his career if he wanted to. He instead agreed to a three-year extension with the Dodgers, keeping him with the team through the 2021 season.
When asked how much consideration went into opting out and signing with the Rangers, Kershaw explained not much due to them not being ready to compete for a World Series like the Dodgers are, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
He said playing for the Rangers would probably have been a more attractive option if they were more immediately competitive, although he stressed his fondness for his adopted home and “it wasn’t much of a question this time around.”
Kershaw and the Dodgers fell just short of winning a World Series championship again in 2018, losing to the Boston Red Sox in five games. So the desire to bring a championship to the city of Los Angeles played a big factor in Kershaw deciding to stay.
He has dealt with some health issues over the last few years and looked to be declining for much of the 2018 season, but he said he is hoping to prove the doubters wrong over the course of the next three years.
Considering the Dodgers and Kershaw were able to complete their extension quickly, the front office can now shift its focus to other offseason agendas, and extending manager Dave Roberts looks to be next on the list.
