Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers are reportedly in agreement on a contract for the 2024 season, pending physical. The news came down early Tuesday morning that the two sides were getting close to a deal before being confirmed by Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The Dodgers and Kershaw are in agreement @JonHeyman and I can report. The physical is on Thursday. https://t.co/lqvqtRwdS0
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 6, 2024
The news is exciting but not exactly surprising. I argued early in the offseason that the two sides likely already had a gentlemen’s agreement on a deal for 2024 and we would get a Kershaw return somewhere around the start of spring training when the 60-day injured list opened up to teams.
Pitchers Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Nick Frasso are all immediate candidates for the 60-day.
Kershaw is also a 60-day IL candidate himself. After a November surgery to repair a shoulder injury, the future Hall of Famer is expected to miss most of the first half of the season.
Though it may take a day or two before we get the official announcement of Clayton’s return, we can likely expect to see him at Camelback Ranch as pitchers and catchers report across Thursday and Friday.
Details of the contract are not yet available but are expected to be a one year deal worth around $20-$23 million for the 2024 season. Exact contract details to come…
UPDATE
The deal is reported to be a one year contract with a player option for 2025.
Despite having diminished stuff, Kershaw was one of the best pitchers in the National League last season, posting a 13-5 record and 2.46 ERA. He missed nearly two months of the season while dealing with a nagging shoulder injury that later required offseason surgery. But, he returned to make 8 starts before heading into the postseason where he struggled in his lone NLDS outing.
In 16 seasons with the Dodgers, Kershaw owns a 210-92 record with a 2.48 ERA over 2,712.2 innings pitched.
Clayton Kershaw is back!
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