Kershaw will be a Dodger for 17th season
LOS ANGELES >> Clayton Kershaw's Hall of Fame career will continue in Dodger blue.
The Dodgers have reached agreement on a contract with the unsigned free agent which will allow Kershaw to rejoin the team when he has recovered from shoulder surgery performed in November. The 35-year-old lefthander is not expected to pitch again until some time after the All-Star break.
The contract will not become official until later in the week after Kershaw completes his physical. The Dodgers can place players on the 60-day injured list beginning Thursday, allowing them to add Kershaw without clearing a spot on the 40-man roster.
This would be Kershaw's 17th season with the Dodgers. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .209 average with a franchiserecord 2,944 strikeouts and just 669 walks. He has also made 39 appearances in the postseason (32 starts), with a 13-13 record, a 4.49 ERA and 213 strikeouts.
Last season, Kershaw went 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA in 24 starts. Plagued by back injuries in recent seasons, he missed five weeks in July and August with a shoulder injury this time. He returned to pitch in August and September but was pitching with diminished velocity and struggled in his one postseason start, retiring just one
Clayton Kershaw was 13-5with a 2.46ERA in 24starts last season but his velocity was down markedly over the last two months.