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Clayton Kershaw quieted some of the questions about his future with the Los Angeles Dodgers, saying on Sunday he would “absolutely” consider the possibility of re-signing with the team after his contract ends this season.
The future Hall of Fame pitcher will be 33 less than two weeks before opening day, and with that long elusive championship in his back pocket, there is a perception that this could be his final year in baseball, without talk about the Dodgers.
This perception was reinforced by a Los Angeles Time profile released earlier this month in which Kershaw said he had not discussed an extension with the Dodgers and was unsure if he would. wanted one.
“I’m on a year-to-year basis,” Kershaw said during his first media availability of the season. “I want to re-evaluate at the end of each year and see how we’re doing – as a family, myself personally, where we’re at as a team – and then make a decision from there. I don’t intend to suspend them I’m only 32 years old. I feel like I have more years left in the tank.
“If you ask me now, I really still love to play, I feel healthy right now, I feel like the ball is coming out well. I’m excited for this year, and that’s really all. that I meant. [by his answer in the LA Times profile] . I’m focusing on this year and trying to win a World Series, and then after this year we’re going to figure things out. “
Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner who has already cemented his place as a Hall of Famer in the first round of voting. But he enjoyed some sort of career rebirth in the shortened 2020 season, tapping into lost speed to end the regular season with a 2.16 ERA, 62 strikeouts and just eight steps in 58 1/3 innings. .
Kershaw signed a three-year extension of $ 93 million shortly after the 2018 season and will earn $ 31 million, part of it as a signing bonus, in the final year of his contract.
The Dodgers will pass the luxury tax threshold this year and have accepted the strong possibility that they will do so again in 2022. They also have the looming free agencies of Corey Seager (post 2021 season), Cody Bellinger (post 2023) ) and Walker Buehler (after 2024) to consider.
But those decisions shouldn’t impact their ability to keep Kershaw, a source familiar with the team’s thinking told ESPN. If Kershaw is ultimately going to stay in Los Angeles beyond 2021, the Dodgers would be motivated to find a way to make it happen.
“I love being here,” Kershaw said. “I love the Dodgers, I love everything about this organization. I feel really lucky to have had so many chances to win a World Series as I have had, and now that we have finally won one, I don’t take that for granted. I really enjoyed my stay here and continue to do so. “
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