Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Wants to Play Beyond the 2021 Season

Dodgers fans got a little bit of a scare this offseason thinking about a future without Clayton Kershaw. In the final year of his contract, Kershaw had some unsettling words with the LA Times in an article this past month. That article and the words from Kersh made it feel like he could consider retirement after his contract is up. 

The good news is that Kershaw was able to clarify some of that today. In a press conference with Dodgers media, the long-time ace said that he intends to keep playing beyond the 2021 season. He also said that he wants to be able to reevaluate on an annual basis. 

Yeah, I think the “I don’t know” part was not about playing. As far as I’m concerned, Im continuing to play and feel great doing it. I think what I meant was I’m on a year-to-year basis. I want to reevaluate every year…I have no intentions of hanging them up. I’m only 32, I feel like I got a few more years left in the tank.

While Kershaw does want to be back playing baseball, that doesn’t mean that it will be with the Dodgers. He talked in the interview with Jorge Castillo about being close to family and putting his kids and wife first.

If he sees a deal with the Rangers as a better option following the end of his contract, what’s to stop him from playing near home? The Dodgers will almost certainly do everything they can within reason to retain Kershaw, but at this point, who knows how successful they will be.

Dodgers Related: Buehler Trending in the Right Direction for Opening Day 

The funny thing about Kershaw is that Dodgers fans probably just want to see him continue his career, even if that isn’t in Los Angeles. He is so virtually loved and appreciated in this city though, and bringing him back is obviously ideal. Only time will tell. 

Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, interviews, live streams, and more!

Dodgers: The Often Painful Path Back to LA for Brandon Morrow

2 Comments

  1. I think Kershaw wants to see how this year goes with Bauer and Price. If Bauer is as advertised, and the staff starts mowing people down game after game, and it gets testy with SD and SF, then why wouldn’t Kershaw not want to stick around? If nothing else, for the entertainment value…!

  2. So which would be worse? Him retiring or him finishing his career in Texas? I would say the latter. But that puts the Dodgers in a bind. How much do they pay him to stay? And for how long? Despite him saying he wants to take it “year to year.” I have to believe he expects a three year contract, likely with some opt outs. And I don’t see him taking much less than $30 M because he is a first ballot HOFer who is still much much better than league average. Do you see the team investing nearly $100 M for three years of likely declining production? It’s not an easy call.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button