Dodgers 'Keeping the Door Open' for Clayton Kershaw to Return: Report
The Los Angeles Dodgers' roster is loaded from top to bottom, especially after dominating the off-season. The Boys in Blue are the clear winners of the off-season, but it doesn't stop there.
Los Angeles will look to win a World Series in 2024 and is positioned well to compete for more championships in the future. Still, there are still some minor questions for the front office to answer before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
The biggest question: whether their long-time ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw will be along for the ride in 2024.
The lefty ace is still a free agent, and although it looks like there is no room for Kershaw in the rotation, MLB analyst and former general manager Jim Bowden says the Dodgers are still "keeping the door open" on a Kershaw return.
The Dodgers have told me they are keeping the door open for a Kershaw return and hope he decides to finish his career as a Dodger. I think the signings of Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make it easier for him to decide to stay with Los Angeles rather than opting to finish his career with the Rangers, his hometown team, which is the only other realistic option outside of him choosing to retire.
Kershaw in any other jersey would seem out of place. He has spent his entire major league career — 16 seasons — in Dodger Blue. Longtime fans have seen him grow before their eyes.
Before they build a statue of Kershaw to place alongside those of Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax, the organization must do everything it can to keep him in Southern California.
However, the smoke in the potential move to Texas is a real one. Kershaw has said on the record he'll only play for the Dodgers or Rangers. Having already undergone surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments in his left shoulder, Kershaw says he's committed to returning to the mound.
The question of where he would fall in the Dodgers' rotation, and what role he could play, seems dependent on his health as much as anything.
If Kershaw and the Dodgers' front office are willing to wait and see how much is left in his shoulder, they could wait until February to sign a contract. Kershaw could then go on the 60-day injured list, and would not cost the team a 40-man roster spot.
How much interest the two parties have in a reunion remains to be seen.
