3:20 p.mThe financials of the deal are still unknown Andy McCullough of The Athletic Announces there is a player option for 2025.
11:26 am: The Dodgers have agreed to a new contract with free agent Grady. Clayton Kershaw, By Joel Sherman and John Heyman of the New York Post. He will take a workout this Thursday. Kershaw, a client of Excel Sports Management, underwent shoulder surgery in November and is expected to miss the second half of the season. Thursday is the first day the Dodgers can place a player on the 60-day injured list, so it looks like he’ll be headed straight to the 60-day IL. Tony Gonsolin And Dustin May).
Assuming he can settle down somewhat in the second half, the 2024 season will be Kershaw’s 17th pick for the Dodgers, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2006 draft. Not reaching 30 starts in a season since 2015 is starting to take its toll on Kershaw, but the quality of his output has remained largely constant. From 2009-15, Kershaw averaged 32 starts per year, won four consecutive ERA titles and captured three Cy Young Awards. Since 2016, he’s averaged just 24 starts over a 162-game season, but has an impressive 2.55 ERA — including sub-2.50 marks in three of the past four seasons.
Kershaw clearly wasn’t running at 100% for most of the 2023 season. A shoulder strain landed Kershaw on the injured list in July, and manager Dave Roberts candidly said he was posting at less than full strength in September. Los Angeles limited Kershaw to five innings in each start (5 1/3-innings in his final appearance of the season) in one start back from the injured list. Along the way, Kershaw’s average fastball dipped into career-lows. In his return, his fastball averaged just 89.4 mph — including an 88.7 mph average over his last four starts.
Despite his slow pace, Kershaw has remained very effective. Priest turned in a 2.23 ERA in eight post-IL starts. His 22.2% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate were both way down from pre-injury levels (27.7%, 6.3%), but Kershaw looked to make the most of what he had to offer on any given day. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in those last eight games and has even held opponents to one or zero in six contests. The D-backs crushed him for six runs in his only NLDS start, however, ending the season at a low point.
It’s not yet clear when Kershaw will be able to rejoin the Dodgers’ staff, though it’s likely they’ll make an update when they announce the deal and talk to the media. Kershaw, who returned in the second half, would provide some major insurance for a Dodgers rotation that has been fraught with uncertainty. Right hand drive Yoshinobu Yamamoto He will be adjusting to a new culture and a new league in his first campaign this year. Right hand drive Walker Buhler He is in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Southpaw James Paxton It is a risk of many years of damage. Youth rights Bobby Miller, Year Sheehan, Gavin Stone And Kyle was hurt They didn’t last full big league seasons.
As mentioned earlier, Kershaw won’t be the only second-half addition option for the Dodgers. The aforementioned May underwent Tommy John rehabilitation and cruciate ligament repair in early July but could return for the stretch run. Gonsoli, who underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of August, feels like a long shot to return, but the rehab can be done in a cadaver capacity if he plays at his best.
The Dodgers are set to pay the luxury tax for the third straight season and are already on the final stretch of the luxury tax penalty. Therefore, any dollar given to Kershaw would be taxed at 110%. That won’t be a hindrance as they host the future Hall of Famer for his 17th season.
In 2712 2/3 innings though his big league career, Kershaw has a 210-92 record, a 2.48 ERA, a 27.6% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate. He is a ten-time All-Star with five NL ERA titles, three Cy Young Awards and the National League MVP Award.