The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a dream offseason thus far, signing Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernandez while trading for and extending Tyler Glasnow. Their roster is almost set for Opening Day in Seoul, South Korea, but there is one glaring, Clayton-Kershaw-sized hole.
At this point in the offseason, the longest tenured Dodger remains a free agent. Kershaw underwent surgery to repair his gleno-humeral ligaments in his shoulder, and said he was hoping to return at “some point next summer.”
Before the Dodgers’ busy offseason, Andrew Friedman said the team “absolutely” wants Kershaw back next season. It appears that stance has not wavered.
In a mailbag article for The Athletic, MLB insider Jim Bowden was asked about Kershaw and the Dodgers. Here’s what he had to say:
“The Dodgers have told me they are keeping the door open for a Kershaw return and hope he decides to finish his career as a Dodger. I think the signings of Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make it easier for him to decide to stay with Los Angeles rather than opting to finish his career with the Rangers, his hometown team, which is the only other realistic option outside of him choosing to retire.”
Via The Athletic
The Dodgers still have a need in the rotation, especially for a left-handed starter. However, Kershaw doesn’t exactly fill that hole considering it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return to the mound.
Nonetheless, Kershaw has spent his entire 16-year career with the Dodgers, and will go into the Hall of Fame with a Dodgers cap on his head. I don’t think any Dodger fans wants to see him don a Texas Rangers jersey to finish his career, and it sounds like the Dodgers’ front office feels similarly.
It will be up to Kershaw to decide if he wants to remain with the only team he’s known or go back to Texas to play close to home. But he has no rush to make a decision, as he continues to rehab his significant injury.
For what it’s worth, longtime Dodger fan and new Dodger Tyler Glasnow wants to see Kershaw return to Los Angeles.
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