There’s been some talk that future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw might finally leave the Los Angeles Dodgers after 15 seasons.
Kershaw is a free agent and has been linked to other contenders after an all-time great tenure in Southern California.
That no longer appears to be the case. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Kershaw is nearing a one-year deal to return to the Dodgers. The terms of the deal are not yet known.
This is somewhat surprising in that Kershaw did not receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, which would have paid him $19.65 million in 2023 if he had opted to agree to it.
The No. 7 overall pick of the Dodgers back in 2006, Kershaw made his debut with the team and has not looked back since. The Texas native has earned nine All-Star appearances, three National League Cy Young awards and won the NL MVP back in 2014.
This past season saw the 34-year-old Kershaw register a 12-3 record with a 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 22 starts. It was a rebound performance from the veteran after a down 2021 campaign.
Kershaw’s best performance came during the aforementioned 2014 season when he pitched to a 21-3 record with a 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP while striking out 239 batters in 198.1 innings.
It now looks like the World Series champ and five-time NL ERA leader is set to return to the Dodgers for another season. Who would have it any other way?
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