It shouldn’t be a shock but Clayton Kershaw is returning to the Dodgers. The 36-year-old will re-join the Dodgers per multiple reports, giving Kershaw a shot to rebound after an injury-riddled campaign. Plus, reach a major milestone as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A Look at Kershaw
The 2024 campaign could be considered a lost one for Clayton Kershaw, even though the left-hander got his second World Series ring last season. The 36-year-old left-hander made just seven starts and was a mixed bag in many of those. Kershaw posted a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP with the Dodgers.
Kershaw, who re-signed with the Dodgers last February, started 2024 on the IL recovering from shoulder surgery. He had a setback after rehabbing in June and ultimately made his MLB debut on July 25.
The left-hander has long been a dominant force when it comes to getting hitters to chase and miss but that wasn’t the case last year. Kershaw’s whiff rate dropped six percent, while his chase rated dropped four percent. It came amidst toe troubles that ended his 2024 campaign early and diminished stuff on the mound.
Kershaw’s fastball velocity has trended down over the years. However, the left-hander had difficulties hitting 90 MPH and his last start, was as low as 87 MPH. The fastball IVB was fine on paper — but nothing like we’ve seen in the past from Kershaw. His mean IVB of 17.2” was down significantly from 2024 (18.1”).
The left-hander was also more willing to experiment last season to keep hitters off balance. Kershaw used a splitter more than 4% of the time last season, up from the less than 1% in 2023. He also relied heavily on his slider, used often to backfoot on hitters, and the “lollipop” curveball that still got a fair amount of called strikes.
Despite how things ended in 2024, Kershaw re-iterated he wanted to continue. The future Hall of Famer stated last year he believed he would be back in Los Angeles for the 2025 campaign. But before he returns to the mound, he’ll need to prove he’s healthy. The left-hander underwent toe and knee surgeries after the 2024 season.
The Dodgers haven’t announced the re-signing of Clayton Kershaw as of this writing. However, the left-hander was seen throwing at Dodgers camp.
Analysis
Even though Kershaw doesn’t have anything left to prove, the left-hander will look to continue his career on better terms, after what was a lost 2024 on paper. And, Kershaw could hit a major milestone in 2025 if he can come back strong.
Kershaw is 32 strikeouts shy of 3,000 for his career. The Dodger would become the fourth left-hander to reach the mark, joining Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and CC Sabathia. All three are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, as Sabathia will join the other two this coming July.
As for the Dodgers, adding Kershaw doesn’t offer much risk, given Los Angeles’ depth in the starting rotation. The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Blake Snell, with others — Bobby Miller and Tony Gonsolin — vying to fill the last two spots. Shohei Ohtani, who is throwing in Dodgers camp, will be another option as 2025 progresses.
The prospect of a six-man rotation should benefit not just the Japanese arms who are used to that setup but Kershaw as well. More rest for the lefty, who will be 37 in March, is not a bad thing.
In other baseball news, ex-Dodger Kenley Jansen is headed back to Southern California, joining the Angels on a one-year deal.