At the team’s World Series celebration on Friday, future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw He declared himself a “Dodger for life.”
However, to be a Dodger in 2025, he and the team will have to come to a new contract.
Although Kershaw had a player option for at least $10 million next season, he evidently declined it Monday before the Major League Players Association. including him as a free agent. While this is Kershaw’s fourth consecutive season in free agency, the veteran left-hander has already said he will pitch for the Dodgers next year, a change from the last three winters, when the Dallas native considered signing with the Texas Rangers.
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So to return to Los Angeles for an 18th MLB season, Kershaw and the team will now have to come to a new agreement.
Kershaw hinted that he might not accept his current deal after the Dodgers World Series Parade and demonstration at the stadium on Friday, saying that he would “somehow” remain with the team, and that he didn’t care about the method.
Kershaw’s current deal, which he signed last winter, would have guaranteed him $10 million for next season, with the opportunity to earn up to $25 million total based on incentives (after 10 starts next year, he would have received a $1 bonus million for each beginning thereafter).
By opting for a new deal, Kershaw and the team can restructure his salary and/or add options for future seasons if he wants to continue playing beyond 2025.
After missing the first four months of this year recovering from shoulder surgery, Kershaw will once again face health concerns heading into 2025. This week, he is scheduled to undergo surgery on his left toe (to treat a bone spur, arthritis and a plantar plate tear). ) and left knee (where he has a meniscus injury). Until those procedures are completed, he said he is unsure how long the recovery process will take.
Read more: Clayton Kershaw enjoys his first World Series parade and reveals additional injury
Still, for a club that has openings in its starting rotation, and that has long revolved around the three-time Cy Young Award winner and former National League MVP, retaining Kershaw was, officially, in the cards. Dodgers offseason to-do list.
And while that box remained unchecked as of Monday, his return should come together at some point this offseason.
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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
