Dodgers: MLB Insider Predicts Clayton Kershaw Will Re-Sign with LA
Anthony Castrovince for MLB.com recently wrote a piece where he predicted Clayton Kershaw will re-sign with the Dodgers. Any Dodger fan reading that will want to know if Castrovince is clairvoyant and will probably put on tinfoil hats just to confirm what Dodger fans want in their heart. From the piece, Castrovince said this.
“Maybe not as much of a ‘duh,’ because Kershaw’s hometown Rangers will once again be a highly cited alternative and his injury troubles complicate matters. But we’ll believe Kershaw leaves the Dodgers when we actually see it.”
What The Heart Wants
Dodger fans who don’t necessarily want Kershaw back will cite whether his price tag is worth his effectiveness. Baseball is a business after all, and LA Laker fans also know the cost of legacy contracts when it comes to players past their prime. Clayton Kershaw will go down on the Dodgers Mount Rushmore as probably the number one face. He has been the face of the franchise during the Dodgers’ successful run over the last decade-plus. He has given his heart and soul to the franchise, and he is a part of every Dodger fan’s heart. That said, he has a lot of miles on his arm and his price tag will be high.
But Wait, He’s Still Good
Clayton Kershaw’s 2021 never got off the ground. It was besieged by injuries at all the wrong times. Kershaw would get healthy and have a few starts where he’d start to build consistency. Then he either got injured, or he had a bad start which then led to monitoring his innings or an IL stint. In his season, he still posted a 115 ERA plus, and he struck out 144 batters in 121 innings. That made his SO/9 the highest it has been since 2017. His 3.55 ERA may have been inflated as his FIP (fielding independent pitching) was right at 3.00. Without glazing over too many eyes with statistics, this implies his results should have been better than they were.
The GOAT
Clayton Kershaw has given 14 years to the Los Angeles Dodgers. When he is done playing baseball, he may go down as the greatest pitcher of all time. He will have a statue erected outside Dodger Stadium. Fans will frame their Clayton Kershaw jerseys. The possibility of overpaying for your franchise hero is well worth the price.
NEXT: Insider Suggests LA Could Offer Clayton Kershaw Incentive Laden Contract
Without a doubt he will be in the Legends of Dodger baseball. I doubt that he will be back.
I would bet that he WILL be back, at least signed. Hooefully he agrees to a contract with a low base salary with multiple levels of pay raises.
He will want a whole lot of money. I don’t think that the team would be willing to pay that much for him.
He’s a much better choice than Heaney! He was horrible and basically ran out of town by the Yankees!
Well Heany is no lock anyway to even make the rotation and his signing doesn’t preclude Dodgers re- signing CK and or Scherzer.
Maybe CK might consider signing as a player coach, since the Dodgers have not had a pitching coach since Honey retired and #30 hasn’t a clue about pitchers as he has proven for his entire stunt as team manager. Some good advice from someone who actually knows a little bit about pitching might help out. Also…another player coach might be Tio Albert, as his knowledge of hitting might be helpful as opposed to the 2 clowns that have been acting the part for 2 seasons.
He’s a realist. He knows, as the other teams also do, that his arm is bad and he won’t get that much as a free agent if anything. The Dodgers may offer some type of legacy contract he can retire from with dignity, and if so, Kershaw would take it.
Clayton has been great, a stud on the mound and a class act on and off it. I really hope to see him back, although I’m not holding my breath. Now with my absolute lack of any real medical knowledge, I fear he needs surgery, probably TJ, and doesn’t want to go under the knife, which I can’t emotionally blame him for. I’d guess any big contract with anyone will be incentive heavy, mostly number of starts, which makes sense to me.
A statue? Maybe. Is there one of Koufax? In his (admittedly short) prime, even Kershaw can’t compare.
He will not be the greatest Dodger pitcher.
He will not be the #1 face.
Talk about flushing 8 million dollars down the toilet. Ugh. Is this the replacement for Scherzer?