Max Muncy and Clayton Kershaw are two pieces of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization that the franchise views as cornerstones. Muncy has seen a meteoric rise from Minor League journeyman to All-Star, while Kershaw has had high expectations attached to him since the day he was drafted out of high school.
Both visibly have tremendous amount of respect for one another, and with Kershaw’s career in its waning years, Muncy was one of those that were quite happy to see the left-hander return this season.
After mulling over his future and taking several months to get healthy, Kershaw re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million contract. The deal included incentives, some of which he reached despite twice going on the 15-day injured list because of back trouble.
Kershaw has meant so much to the organization and most want to see him retire with the Dodgers, which was a sentiment Muncy expressed earlier this season, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“It’s special to be around him, special to have him back,” Muncy said, adding with conviction: “The guy needs to end his career as a Dodger. So hopefully there’s a couple more years in there.”
Kershaw is a legend of the game and one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound. While the past few years have been checkered for him due to back injuries, he still is capable of being a quality starter for the Dodgers.
In his 15th season with the Dodgers, Kershaw went 12-3 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 22 starts.
Will Dodgers re-sign Clayton Kershaw?
Although Kershaw has indicated he intends to play year-to-year for the remainder of his career, every indication has been he intends to keep pitching in 2023 rather than retire.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has maintained his stance of wanting to re-sign Kershaw so that the three-time Cy Young Award winner finishes his career with the organization.
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