Reunion in LA: 10-Time All-Star Star Set to…

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

It’s appropriate that the above quote, from The Sandlot, has an attribution to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez goes on to play for the Dodgers in the movie world, but these days, the Dodgers are so full of legends that it’s hard to keep track of them all.

However, with all the superstars currently playing on the Dodgers, from Shohei Ohtani, to Freddie Freeman, to Mookie Betts, there’s one whose Dodgers legacy outstrips them all. And in 2025, he may get another chance to add to that legacy.

Clayton Kershaw, the surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer who has spent his entire 17-year career in a Dodgers uniform, missed nearly all of the 2024 season, including the Dodgers’ World Series run, dealing with shoulder, toe, and knee injuries. Soon, he may get his chance at redemption in Dodger blue.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted recently that Kershaw would return to the Dodgers in 2025, signing a one-year, $12 million contract.

“Kershaw has declined his $10 million option for 2025, but Los Angeles Dodgers fans need not worry. He didn’t sound ready to walk away when he spoke at the club’s World Series championship celebration,” Rymer said.

“The future Hall of Famer is not the pitcher he once was, but he can have a relatively normal offseason after undergoing shoulder surgery last winter. The Dodgers might even anticipate 100-odd innings and an ERA in the 2.00s, a la what they got from him in 2022 and 2023.”

Entering his age-37 season, there’s reason to believe Kershaw still has something left in the tank, assuming his lingering injuries don’t continue to weigh him down. He has a 2.59 ERA over his last 53 big-league starts, striking out 298 batters in 288 innings.

In the quote Rymer references from the Dodgers’ World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw raised the Commissioner’s Trophy to the crowd and yelled, “I love you guys! Thank you! Dodger for life!”

That sounds like a man who knows what he wants. As long as Kershaw is willing to keep striving for excellence on the mound, the Dodgers are more than likely willing to welcome him back.