The Los Angeles Dodgers have been Major League Baseball’s busiest team this offseason.
Los Angeles dominated the free agent market, signing pitchers Blake Snell, Rori Sasaki, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates. The team also added outfielders Michael Conforto, Teoscar Hernandez, and infielder Hyeseong Kim.
Through it all, there was one missing piece to LA’s offseason.
Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been with the team since his 2008 MLB debut. The 38-year-old was a free agent this offseason, but it felt inevitable that the two sides would agree to a deal.
On Tuesday, that inevitability came true. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reported that Kershaw had agreed to a new contract with the Dodgers and was playing catch at the team’s spring training facility.
Clayton Kershaw is at the Dodgers facility playing catch. He and the Dodgers have agreed to terms on a new contract, per source, though he still has to finish going through his physical.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) February 11, 2025
Kershaw’s career speaks for itself. He is one of the best-starting pitchers of the generation, joining Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer as the only active pitchers with three Cy Young Awards. Kershaw, like Verlander, also won the MVP in the same season he won a Cy Young, doing so in 2014.
In his 17-year career, Kershaw has a 212-94 record and a 2.50 ERA. His ERA is the lowest among all active pitchers. Additionally, Kershaw enters the 2025 season with 2,968 career strikeouts. Should he reach the 3,000-strikeout threshold, he will be the 20th pitcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
Social media had a lot to say about the return.
3000 Ks for sure, 225 W possible. Hopefully keeps career ERA at 2.50 or below, but unlikely.
Even though he’s spent a lot of the time on the shelf, he’s still 68-30 w/ a 2.83 ERA (145 ERA+), about a 5-to-1 K/BB, 1.03 WHIP and more than a batter struck out per inning from 2018-24 https://t.co/HAXUFRsiRC
— d. mack (@dalton_mack) February 11, 2025
KING KERSH https://t.co/LGQRwVZMkY pic.twitter.com/aczxxYCuSC
— DodgersMemeTeam WORLD CHAMPS (@DodgersMemeTeam) February 11, 2025
But seriously has any team in professional sports ever had a better offseason? https://t.co/tCTiT2JEAV
— Hannah Davis (@hannahpearld) February 11, 2025
My GOAT is retiring a Dodger. https://t.co/acSBRS4QeM
— nate (@tortnathan) February 11, 2025
About Robert O'Neill