Clayton Kershaw Declines Player Option From Dodgers, Enters Free Agency
Los Angeles Dodgers future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw has declined his player option for 2025 and has officially entered free agency.
While Kershaw won’t be accepting his player option, he’s already made it clear he not only wants to return for the 2025 season, but wants to do it with the Dodgers.
During the NLCS, Kershaw said he planned on pitching again in 2025.
“Mentally, I feel great. I had shoulder surgery last offseason, and my shoulder and elbow, everything, my arm, feels great,” Kershaw said on the Fox Sports pregame show. “Obviously, I had some tough luck with my foot this year. But I want to make use of this surgery. I don’t want to have surgery and shut it down. So I’m gonna come back next year and give it a go and see how it goes.”
The next day, he clarified that he wanted to return with the Dodgers.
“I just thought everyone kind of assumed and knew I was coming back. I didn’t really think about it,” Kershaw said. “I’m going to be a Dodger.”
Kershaw also called himself a “Dodger for life” during the World Series parade.
Kershaw will sign a new contract with the Dodgers at some point this offseason. It would make sense for him to sign a two-year deal with a player option in the second season so he can, again, decide on his future next offseason.
Kershaw’s 2025 season could be delayed as he undergoes surgery on both his toe and knee. He made just seven starts in 2024, and didn’t pitch in the postseason
Read more: Clayton Kershaw to Undergo Multiple Surgeries, No Timeline to Return to Dodgers
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Why should the Dodgers pay you, your all dried up. You have not done any thing
for this team. The players who worked their asses off deserve a ring. You were
on IL 95% of the season. You cannot
Help the Dodgers now. Pitch 1 or 2 games then out for the whole. Your no good
Go home to Arizona and become a little league coach
Susan Clayton Kershaw is not all washed up so I don’t know why you’re saying such negative things about him if you are a true Dodger fan then you should respect him and don’t tell him to go home and become a little league coach because he has brought a lot of love and joy into every Dodger fan out there and I think what you said is a bunch of hogwash I could have said something a lot worse but I chose to keep it clean
You know nothing of The dodgers.you should be ashamed to speak that way about one of this Era’s best pitcher.baseball is team game.teammates pick each other up when they are down.He is one of the key players that got the dodgers to where they are now.He is a mentor and leader in the clubhouse.Sometimes that is worth more than making all your starts.He has made that pitching staff what it is today.
Tell us how you really feel about Kershaw coming back Susan? Dodger Nation will not like this but I agree with you. The guy is done, so many miles on that arm and his body is falling apart….HOF career, two WS rings, time to retire and play with his kids..
You’re right, Victor. He needs to retire and not wait until his body is so broken he has to. Now he can go out a winner, play with his kids, and be a shoo in in five years for the HOF.