The Los Angeles Dodgers will enter the 2024 Major League Baseball season as the favorite to win the World Series. A busy offseason that included the signings of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto has them in position to dominate the regular season again. It will eventually be all about October, but for now, it’s fun to think about what’s to come. For the Dodgers, though, another subplot will eventually emerge: What happens to Clayton Kershaw?
Kershaw is still technically a free agent. The multi-time National League Cy Young winner figures to either re-sign with the Dodgers or sign with the Texas Rangers. Last season, the Rangers won the World Series for the first time in franchise history. The Dodgers spiraled out of the postseason with yet another early exit. Kershaw hurt his shoulder during their brief National League Division Series stint and that injury required surgery.
So, as of right now, no one knows quite what Kershaw will do. But the Dodgers aren’t closing any doors.
This weekend, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes addressed the media. While he spoke to reporters, Kershaw’s name came up and a discussion broke out. The Dodgers GM made it clear that the team has not moved on and that the door remains open for him to return to the team in 2024.
Fabian Ardaya, a longtime Dodgers reporter, said, “Brandon Gomes said the door is still open for the Dodgers to bring back Clayton Kershaw even after some of the rotation additions this winter.” Ardaya posted the quote on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
It’s likely the Dodgers will know first if Kershaw decides against a return. L.A. is the only team Kershaw’s ever known and where he’s made a name for himself. Seeing him with a different team might be quite the experience, but it could become a reality if he opts to play for the Rangers.
The MLB world reacted to the news.
https://twitter.com/GonsolinRBW/status/1753886631277285378
It’s not a request anymore https://t.co/cJsaEuKrMm
—
Catchers (@dodgermacncheez) February 3, 2024
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022