Clayton Kershaw Talks Retirement Plan Ahead of 2025 Season With Dodgers

Maren Angus-Coombs | Feb 14, 2025

Feb 11, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) warms up during spring training camp. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers made it official on Thursday when the club announced he was returning for 2025 on a one-year, $7.5 million deal with roster and games-started bonuses.

The veteran left-hander, recovering from offseason toe and knee surgeries, will return for his 18th season with the Dodgers but is expected to miss the start of the year.

To clear space on the 40-man roster, the team placed right-hander River Ryan on the 60-day injured list.

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Kershaw is unsure how much longer he wants to pitch or how long his body will allow him to stay on the mound, but after logging just 30 innings last season and missing the entire postseason during the team's championship run, he wasn't ready to step away from the game just yet.

“Hopefully I can walk out on my own terms whenever that is," Kershaw said. “But it just didn’t feel like it was the right time. You know, even though we won, being on the shelf for that wasn’t the way that I had scripted it out.

“I’m still super thankful to be a part of it last year and get to see everything, but I want to be out there when it happens.

“That was a good motivating factor for sure."

Kershaw has been among baseball's elite pitchers throughout his 17-year career. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and former MVP has earned 10 All-Star selections while posting a career 2.50 ERA. His 156 ERA+ is the highest in MLB history for pitchers with a minimum of 2,000 innings.

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As the left-hander has aged, there have been rumors that he would sign with the Texas Rangers rather than remaining with the Dodgers. He lives in Dallas and it would make sense if he opted to switch, but he made it clear that hasn't crossed his mind.

“I’m a Dodger," Kershaw said. “I am so thankful for this organization. I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times of what it means to be able to be in one organization for your entire career. You look at people throughout all of sports that have been able to do that, and it is special. I don’t want to lose sight of that.

“So, getting to be here for my whole career, however long that is, is definitely a goal, and I’m thankful I get to continue with that.""

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