The Dodgers’ historic offseason spending spree might spell the end of Clayton Kershaw’s legendary run in Los Angeles. After landing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the team’s kept pushing – adding Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernandez, and most recently Roki Sasaki to an already stacked roster.
What makes this particularly interesting is how it affects Kershaw’s future. The Dodgers’ rotation is absolutely loaded now. They’ve got Yamamoto, Snell, Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani (once he’s cleared to pitch) as their likely starting five. That’s not even counting their impressive depth with Bobby Miller, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and promising arms like Landon Knack and Emmet Sheehan waiting in the wings.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com raised the question everyone’s thinking: “Is Clayton Kershaw’s time with the Dodgers finished?”
“We have all assumed that Kershaw would be back with the Dodgers at some point, but given the glut of starting pitching on the roster, is there even room for him?”
Let’s be real – Kershaw’s still effective when he’s on the mound. The problem is staying there. He made just seven starts last year, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. At 36, health has become increasingly challenging for the future Hall of Famer.
The Dodgers could still make room for their franchise icon. They’ve got the flexibility to trade some younger arms if they want to bring back Kershaw, whose resume speaks for itself: 10 All-Star selections, three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and two World Series rings.
But with this much pitching depth and Kershaw’s recent durability issues, it feels like we might be seeing the end of an era in Los Angeles. The Dodgers seem to be looking toward thier future, even if it means moving on from their past.
