Mr. Dodger appears to be back for another year in blue.
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reported on Tuesday that Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw has agreed to terms on a new contract with the team. Kershaw was also spotted playing catch at the Dodgers’ team facility on Tuesday.
Gonzalez adds though that Kershaw still has to finish going through his physical before the deal is finalized. At that point, terms of Kershaw’s new contract with the Dodgers will likely emerge.
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Kershaw, 36, had been a free agent after his previous contract with the team expired. The Dodgers, whom Kershaw began his MLB career with back in 2008, are the only team that Kershaw has ever known, and he just won his second World Series ring with them this past season.
Of course, Kershaw does not have much left physically these days. He made just seven starts last season for the Dodgers (posting a 4.50 ERA) after missing most of the year due to offseason throwing shoulder surgery. Kershaw also revealed after the 2024 World Series that he was set for multiple other unrelated procedures during this offseason.
But given another big winter of spending by the Dodgers, the 10-time All-Star Kershaw should have plenty of runway to take things slow and contribute where needed. The Dodgers have added many more high-quality arms in free agency over the last several weeks, so anything more that they can get out of Kershaw will just be gravy at this point.
