LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw’s Hall of Fame career will continue in Dodger blue.
The Dodgers have reached agreement on a contract with the unsigned free agent which will allow Kershaw to rejoin the team when he has recovered from shoulder surgery performed in November. The 35-year-old left-hander is not expected to pitch again until some time after the All-Star break.
The contract will not become official until later in the week after Kershaw completes his physical. The Dodgers can place players on the 60-day injured list beginning Thursday, allowing them to add Kershaw without clearing a spot on the 40-man roster.
This would be Kershaw’s 17th season with the Dodgers. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .209 average with a franchise-record 2,944 strikeouts and just 669 walks. He has also made 39 appearances in the postseason (32 starts), with a 13-13 record, a 4.49 ERA and 213 strikeouts.
Last season, Kershaw went 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA in 24 starts. Plagued by back injuries in recent seasons, he missed five weeks in July and August with a shoulder injury this time. He returned to pitch in August and September but was pitching with diminished velocity and struggled in his one postseason start, retiring just one batter and allowing six runs in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. He was preparing to start again in Game 4, but the Dodgers were swept in three games, marking the second straight year they had been eliminated in their first round by a division rival.
In November, Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in Kershaw’s pitching shoulder. At the time, Kershaw posted on Instagram that he hoped to pitch again “at some point next summer.”
The Dodgers remained in contact with Kershaw following his surgery with President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman saying the team “absolutely” would welcome Kershaw back when he is healthy.
“We are very respectful of Clayton and Ellen’s decision and giving them the time and space to make the best decision for their family,” Friedman said. “But selfishly, we hope it’s to continue and finish his career in Dodger blue.”
Kershaw has signed one-year contracts with the Dodgers before each of the past two seasons, giving consideration to signing with the Texas Rangers so he could finish his career pitching in his hometown. That possibility has dimmed this year and Kershaw’s new deal will reportedly include a player option for the 2025 season, which would allow him to potentially spend 2025 in the same rotation with Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers can afford to wait for him to take his time rehabbing this season. New additions Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will anchor the top of their rotation at the start of the season, and Walker Buehler, recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, is expected to join shortly thereafter. The Dodgers also signed veteran James Paxton and have Bobby Miller returning, with the likes of Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove and Gavin Stone also available to contribute.
