Rangers After Dodgers Star Clayton Kershaw Again

The Rangers need pitching help and one top free-agent list has Texas as a potential landing spot for Clayton Kershaw.

What might the potential cost of a short-term marriage between the Texas Rangers and Cy Young winning starter Clayton Kershaw look like?

The New York Post gave us a potential glimpse on Friday when it published its Top 30 free agents. Kershaw made the list at No. 12 overall. The list was a bit unique in that it not only provided potential suitors for each player, but the Post found an industry expert to provide an estimate on contract cost and length.

The Post listed the Rangers and Kershaw’s current team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the only potential suitors.

The price tag? One year and $18 million.

Would the Rangers do it? Would either pay over that amount to keep him?

Both have motivation.

Kershaw has been with the Dodgers his entire career. The first-round pick of the Dodgers in 2006 made his MLB debut in 2008 and is 197-87 for his 15-year career. The 34-year-old has three National League Cy Young Awards, nine All-Star Game appearances and a World Series ring in 2020. He was also the 2014 NL Most Valuable Player.

Kershaw made the All-Star Team in 2022 and finished the season with a 12-3 record and a 2.28 ERA.

With the Dodgers he’s reached the postseason 12 times, including each of the last 10 seasons. The Dodgers look poised once again to make a postseason run.

Would Kershaw, a Dallas native who played at Highland Park High School, trade in Dodger Blue for a Rangers organization that is coming off six losing seasons?

Well, last year he thought about it, according to the Los Angeles Times. Kershaw ultimately signed a one-year deal for $17 million with the Dodgers.

The Rangers are a different organization now. The Rangers hired Bruce Bochy as manager in October, who is quite familiar with Kershaw when Bochy managed the San Francisco Giants. There’s plenty of respect for Bochy throughout baseball. The Rangers’ hire at pitching coach could also alter the math.

The Rangers are also in a position where they could overpay to lure Kershaw home. Per Spotrac, Kershaw has made $222 million for his career, including a $46 million paycheck in 2019 that included a $23 million bonus. Last year’s $17 million was his lowest yearly salary since 2013.

While the Rangers have a 2023 payroll of less than $100 million, the Dodgers have an active payroll of $124 million, but a total payroll of nearly $160 million when you take into account suspended salaries, including that of pitcher Trevor Bauer.

There is also Kershaw’s injury history to think about. The left-hander has had three seasons where he consistently battled injuries, as recent as 2021 when he missed the postseason due to arm injuries.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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