While Los Angeles Dodgers fans rejoice because of the Roki Sasaki signing, MLB insider Mark Feinsand questions whether the organization will bring back Clayton Kershaw.
Sasaki is L.A.’s up and coming star, but Kershaw is one of the greatest pitchers in Dodgers history. Kershaw declined his $10 million player option for 2025 in November, but the general consensus was the veteran southpaw would return.
Feinsand believes the influx of talent to Los Angeles this winter has implications for a reunion with Kershaw.
“On the Major League free-agent side, one question has to be asked: Is Clayton Kershaw’s time with the Dodgers finished?” Feinsand wrote. “L.A.’s rotation now features Yamamoto, Snell, Sasaki, Ohtani (who will return from a right elbow surgery this season) and Glasnow, with Gonsolin, May, Knack and Emmet Sheehan waiting in the wings. We have all assumed that Kershaw would be back with the Dodgers at some point, but given the glut of starting pitching on the roster, is there even room for him?”
Kershaw, 36, battled a number of injuries throughout the 2024 season and was not able to compete in the postseason. After undergoing two surgeries this offseason, general manager Brandon Gomes provided a hopeful update on Kerhsaw’s recovery.
“He’s continuing to heal and build up from the procedures he’s had,” Gomes said at the Winter Meetings. “We’ll just stay in touch. As I said, I hope and our expectation is that Clayton will be back next year, and whenever he’s ready, if we’re fortunate enough to bring him back, we’ll plug him in.”
The future Hall of Famer made it clear he wanted to retire as a Dodger, further indicating he would return to Los Angeles next season.
“I just thought everyone kind of assumed and knew I was coming back. I didn’t really think about it,” Kershaw said during the playoffs after announcing he would play another season but not specifying for what team. “I’m going to be a Dodger.”
The Sasaki signing never seemed to have an influence on Kershaw’s fate in free agency. Another MLB insider, Jon Morosi, gave a positive update on Kershaw earlier this month.
“I think we all believe that assuming he comes back, and again, we expect that he will be a Dodger for life,” Morosi said on MLB Network. “There is no open market about different teams calling, really, for Clayton Kershaw. No. 22 is gonna finish his career with the Dodgers.”
