Source: Kershaw, Dodgers agree to 18th season

Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to terms on a new one-year contract that will bring the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner back to the team for an 18th season, a source told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez on Tuesday.

Kershaw was at the Dodgers’ spring training site at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.

The deal, which is pending a physical, is expected to become official by Wednesday and will guarantee Kershaw somewhere between $5 million and $10 million in 2025, a source told ESPN. If Kershaw’s prior contract is any indication, the deal will also include a multitude of performance bonuses.

Kershaw, who turns 37 in March, is expected back at some point around June, a source told ESPN. He had foot and knee surgeries in November after he was limited to just seven games last season. He made his season debut July 25 and pitched 30 innings before reporting damage to his toe, which turned out to be a ruptured plantar plate and arthritis in his left foot.

He didn’t pitch in the postseason, finishing 2024 with a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA.

He has been a mainstay in the Dodgers’ rotation, spending his entire career in Los Angeles, and is just 32 strikeouts of becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 for his career.

Over 17 seasons, Kershaw has established himself as one of the most monumental figures in the franchise’s illustrious history. He won three Cy Young Awards and an MVP, made 10 All-Star teams, became the team’s career leader in strikeouts and accumulated the second-most wins (212) in team history.

“He kind of epitomizes how to compete, what it means to be a Dodger ever since I’ve been here,” said Dodgers backup catcher Austin Barnes, Kershaw’s teammate for the past 10 years. “He kind of sets the tone for everything, just the way he works and carries himself.”

The Dodgers enter spring training with the possibility of six starting pitchers: two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell; Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Tyler Glasnow; Roki Sasaki; and Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, both of whom are returning from injury.

Shohei Ohtani, who didn’t pitch last season after elbow surgery, could be back on the mound by the second month of the season.

Kershaw’s return could give manager Dave Roberts the luxury of an extra arm, which he hasn’t had in past seasons, and the packed pitching staff also could allow him to limit Kershaw’s pitch count.

He pitched on one-year contracts in 2022 and 2023 before signing an incentive-laden $5 million deal for 2024 that included a 2025 option for $5 million, which he declined. With incentives, he earned $7.5 million in 2024.

Kershaw has a career record of 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA in 432 games (429 starts). His 15 career shutouts are the most among active pitchers.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.