Do the Dodgers Still Have Room for Clayton Kershaw?
It's possible that when the Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki, one ace's time on the team started while another's came to a close. Is there even a spot for Clayton Kershaw on the 2025 squad?

11 years (and one day) ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed long-time ace Clayton Kershaw to what, at the time, was the most expensive contract in franchise history. Since then, he’s won a third Cy Young Award and an MVP while also making seven All-Star Games. He’s one of the greatest starting pitchers this game has ever seen.
When the Dodgers were announced as the team Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki had picked as his first MLB organization, there were immediately a handful of probable winners and losers around the league.
For instance, the Cleveland Guardians were winners, as they got the Blue Jays to take on Myles Straw’s contract for international bonus money that didn’t even result in Sasaki heading north of the border. Those same Blue Jays, who were a landing spot for Sasaki until the very end, were certainly losers.
Is it possible that Kershaw himself “lost” when the Dodgers landed Sasaki, too? All offseason long the expectation has been that he’ll end up re-signing and finishing his Hall of Fame career in L.A. but things are getting a bit crowded in their 2025 starting rotation.
Do the Dodgers Have a Roster Spot for Clayton Kershaw?
It’s impossible to picture seeing Kershaw in another uniform, because he’s been the face of the Dodgers for nearly two decades. The storied southpaw debuted back in 2008 and has since won three Cy Young Awards (while earning four other top-five finishes), an MVP in 2014, a pitching Triple Crown and two World Series rings.
He’s also a 10-time All-Star. Kershaw is clearly a first-ballot Hall of Famer and has been since the second he became eligible. He is also in the top-five of Dodgers leaderboards in pitcher’s WAR, wins, W-L%, WHIP, H/9, K/9, innings, strikeouts and games started.
This past season he made just seven starts, which has continued a bit of a troubling trend for the 36-year-old. He hasn’t made 30+ starts in a season since all the way back in 2015 and hasn’t even topped the 25-start plateau since 2019.
However, it’s Clayton freakin’ Kershaw. As long as he’s interested in coming back to the Dodgers, they’re going to be interested in bringing him back. Since he’s looking to continue his career in 2025, there’s little doubt that the organization will be able to find a fit.
Injury History Helps
Helping Kershaw’s case is the fact that the vast majority of the Dodgers’ projected starting rotation is very, very injury prone. Each of Kyle Hurt, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone are recovering from major surgeries that will likely keep them out of action for the upcoming season.
Then there’s Blake Snell, the club’s first big-ticket signing of the winter, whose 2024 was limited to just 20 starts while he dealt with a left adductor muscle and groin injuries. He’s a two-time Cy Young winner himself, but he’s also made 30+ starts just twice in nine years.
Tyler Glasnow made 22 starts this past season, which is a career-high for him. He’s about as injury prone as they come, but he’s rock solid when healthy. Few pitchers have missed more time over the years than he has.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto made just 18 starts in what was an injury-shortened rookie campaign for him in 2024 as well. He was outstanding when he took the mound, which is a common theme here, but he couldn’t quite put together a fully healthy season.
Then there’s Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, who are both expected to be a part of the Dodgers’ 2025 rotation. Each of them are returning from long-term injuries. Neither pitcher threw an inning at the big-league level this past season while they each recovered from Tommy John and in May’s case, a nasty esophageal tear.
There’s a case to be made that the Dodgers have the most talented yet risky starting rotation in MLB history. They are likely to open 2025 with a six-man rotation, so Kershaw’s “in” could be as a potential sixth starter. Otherwise, the two sides could always wait a few weeks into the season to see if any of their other starters hit the shelf.
Could Kershaw Sign Elsewhere?
There’s little to no chance it happens, but it’s possible. The left-hander is a native of Dallas, TX and his hometown team, the Texas Rangers, just so happen to have a hole in their 2025 rotation.
It’s not the craziest thought ever, but it’s difficult to see Kershaw moving on from the only team he’s ever known. This is not the first time he’s been available on the open market, but he’s returned to the Dodgers every chance he’s been given.
Still, the Rangers have shown this offseason that they’re willing to throw some money around. The club has brought aboard five new relievers, re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, added two power bats to their everyday lineup and signed a strong backup catcher on a two-year pact. Not too shabby.
Yet, a hole in their rotation remains. Eovaldi is set to lead the staff, but Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle come with injury concerns, Jon Gray struggled last year and Cody Bradford is solid but still unproven.
There’s really no other team that could even contest the Dodgers other than the Rangers. We’ve already seen this offseason how being close to home could earn you some extra points when Corbin Burnes shocked the world and signed with his hometown Arizona Diamondbacks.