Clayton Kershaw Update: Former All-Star edging closer to Dodgers return, per MLB insider

Clayton Kershaw remains a free agent ahead of his 17th big-league season, but that could be changing soon. What might not be changing, though, is the team for which he's expected to play. The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace looks like he's headed back to LA once more.

Jon Heyman reported:

"There’s growing belief in the game alltime great LHP Clayton Kershaw will return to the Dodgers for at least a 17th season, sources tell me and Joel Sherman. The Cooperstown bound Kershaw had a 2.46 ERA in 2023 (below 2.48 career mark) but won’t be ready to pitch at start of 2024."

He won't be ready to start Opening Day or any time around that, but he could be ready enough sooner rather than later. It just looks increasingly more likely that Clayton Kershaw will be back in Dodger blue.

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Clayton Kershaw likely headed back to the Dodgers

There has not been another team that Clayton Kershaw, a likely future Hall of Fame pitcher, has been with in his entire MLB career. Since 2008, he's been in Los Angeles Dodgers uniforms.

While it ultimately doesn't matter all that much, there is something special about spending an entire career in one uniform, especially when he is arguably the premier left-handed pitcher of this entire generation.

Clayton Kershaw is nearing a Dodgers return

If there was a time when Kershaw would leave, it seemed like now. He was an aging free agent who didn't have his best stuff recently, and the Dodgers made big additions to their pitching staff.

After this season, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take up three rotation spots alongside Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller. There's not much room for Kershaw there.

However, it looks like the two sides are coming to an agreement soon and they're not interested in seeing the veteran ace in any other uniform. It's unclear what the terms might be, though Heyman did report that it was for "at least" this season, implying that there could be more in the future.