There was plenty of speculation as to whether Clayton Kershaw might leave the Dodgers before the 2022 season after a prolonged offseason without a contract. That won't be the case before the 2023 campaign.
Kershaw is back with the Dodgers after agreeing to a one-year deal to stick around with Los Angeles, according to The Athletic, making it back-to-back one-year contracts for the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
The veteran southpaw signed a one-year, $17 million contract with Los Angeles in March to return for his 15th season in Dodger blue. Kershaw started 22 games and logged 126.1 innings on the mound in 2022, posting a 2.28 ERA with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate and 4.7 percent walk rate. He was second on the team in fWAR at 3.8, trailing only a breakout campaign from Tyler Anderson (4.0 fWAR).
Here's a look at the deal that has brought Kershaw back to the Dodgers for a 16th campaign.
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Clayton Kershaw contract details
While there has been no word yet as to what the official numbers will be on Kershaw's contract, it is believed to be roughly the same as the deal he signed with Los Angeles in 2021.
According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, Kershaw's one-year deal will be worth nearly $20 million. This comes after the Dodgers declined to extend him the qualifying offer of $19.65 million.
Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw and the team are in agreement. Deal thought worth close to $20M for 2023. @Ken_Rosenthal was on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 11, 2022
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Spotrac reported that Kershaw received $100,000 incentives for reaching games started milestones. There were five different ones total he could reach: 16, 20, 22, 24 and 26. Since Kershaw started 22 games in 2022, he earned a total of $300,000.
There was also an incentive for finishing in the top three in Cy Young voting. He would receive $1.5 million if he won the award or $500,000 if he placed either second or third. Kershaw was not named among the three finalists for the Cy Young, meaning he will have missed that incentive.
This section will be updated when contract details are announced.
Why Clayton Kershaw signed a one-year deal
There has been speculation swirling that Kershaw might leave to join the Rangers at some point. A native of Dallas, he has long been connected with Texas as a possible destination before the end of his career.
Instead, Kershaw made the quick decision to sign a one-year contract and return to the Dodgers.
According to ESPN, Kershaw reportedly wishes to go "year to year" in his career. By signing a one-year contract, he ensures that he is not locked into playing in 2024 should he decide his playing days are over.
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ESPN also reported he wanted to stay with a contender and keep playing for championships. Though the Rangers made major moves in the offseason prior to 2022, signing key free agents Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray, Texas still finished the year fourth in the AL West at 68-94. The Rangers' pitching staff ranked 25th in fWAR in 2022.
The one-year deals for Kershaw allow him to make a fresh determination after each year whether to continue playing, while the Dodgers are not risking too much on an injury-prone 34-year-old pitcher. Kershaw has exceeded 170 innings only twice since the start of the 2016 season as he has battled persistent injuries.
In 2022, Kershaw was sidelined for a month with right SI joint inflammation in his lower back in May and June, and then missed most of August with a lower back injury.
