Reports: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers agree to deal for 18th season

Field Level Media|published: Tue 11th February, 15:37 2025

MLB: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

Jul 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Clayton Kershaw agreed to a contract with Los Angeles and will return to the Dodgers for an 18th season, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

The deal is pending a physical. Contract details were not reported.

Kershaw is at the Dodgers' spring training site at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

The left-hander announced in November that he had undergone foot and knee surgeries and planned to start a rehabilitation program to return in 2025.

It is unclear when Kershaw will be ready for the active roster, but the World Series champion Dodgers can afford to allow him to return at his own pace.

They enter spring with the possibility of six starting pitchers: two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, both of whom are returning from injury. Shohei Ohtani, who didn't pitch last season after elbow surgery, could be back on the mound by the second month of the season.

The past few seasons, manager Dave Roberts has held his oft-injured pitching staff together with duct tape and a constant shuttle to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kershaw's return could give Roberts the luxury of an extra arm that he hasn't had in past seasons, and the packed pitching staff also could allow him to limit Kershaw's pitch count.

Kershaw, who turns 37 in March, was limited to seven games in 2024 coming off left shoulder surgery in the offseason.

He made his season debut on July 25 and pitched 30 innings before reporting damage to his toe, which turned out to be a ruptured plantar plate and arthritis in his left foot.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP didn't pitch in the postseason. He has been a mainstay in the Dodgers' rotation, spending his entire MLB career in Los Angeles.

Kershaw has a career record of 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA in 432 games (429 starts). His 15 career shutouts are the most among active pitchers.

He also has 2,968 career regular-season strikeouts, putting him 32 away from becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history to hit the 3,000 mark.

--Field Level Media

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