The return of three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw brings a 36-year-old leader to the Los Angeles Dodgers, valued for his experience after nearly 20 years with the team.
Los Angeles hopes that the 10-time All-Star can still contribute on the field, including another World Series win.
Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a one-year contract worth $7.5 million on Thursday, adding depth to a pitching staff that may soon include Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Tony Gonsolin.
“I want to be here,” Kershaw said at his locker. “I’m thankful that I get to be here.”
Kershaw is expected to start on the 60-day injured list after undergoing foot and knee surgeries in the offseason, but he hopes to be ready when he can be activated. He has been working out at Camelback Ranch, doing long toss and running after spending much of the offseason on crutches or in a walking boot.
“The foot surgery has been hard — it’s not a fun surgery,” Kershaw said. “It’s just not an easy process, but I finally started to turn the corner a few weeks ago. Being able to throw, all those things, it hasn’t felt this way in a while. So that’s good.”
Manager Dave Roberts said the team looks forward to Kershaw’s presence both on and off the field. Roberts shared that Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner who signed a five-year, $182 million contract in November, asked for a locker next to Kershaw’s to learn more about pitching.
“That’s what he means to this clubhouse, this organization,” Roberts said. “Clayton being around has been uplifting and positive, for him and the other players.”
Kershaw’s 18th season with the Dodgers would tie him with Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most in franchise history. He is coming off an injury-shortened 2024 season in which he posted a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA in seven starts, striking out 24 in 30 innings.
He did not pitch in the postseason for Los Angeles, which won the World Series for the second time in five years. Kershaw said not contributing in October is one of the reasons he’s motivated to get back on the mound.
Clayton Kershaw winds up in the game“It just didn’t feel like it was the right time,” he said about the possibility of retiring. “Even though we won, being on the shelf for that, it wasn’t the way I scripted it out. Still super thankful to be a part of it last year and get to see everything, but I want to be out there when it happens.”
Kershaw said he never considered signing with another team.
“I’m a Dodger,” he said. “I’m so thankful for this organization. I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times, what it means to be in one organization for your entire career. You look at people throughout all of sports that have been able to do that, and it’s special. I don’t want to lose sight of that.”
Los Angeles plans to use a six-man rotation, and the longer breaks between starts could benefit Kershaw. Roberts knows juggling the rotation could be challenging at times because of all the options, but it’s a welcome problem.
“As we’ve seen, pitching plays itself out in a lot of different ways,” Roberts said. “So knowing we’ve got him in our back pocket is pretty exciting.”
Kershaw has a 212-94 record with a 2.50 ERA in 429 starts and three relief appearances over 17 seasons. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers placed right-hander River Ryan on the 60-day injured list.
