Clayton Kershaw of Los Angeles Dodgers has not decided yet whether he will withdraw from the contract

LOS ANGELES – Clayton Kershaw, preparing to do what could be his last start with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon, has not yet decided to exercise the opt out of his contract, a decision he must take a short time after the conclusion. of the world series.

"I have not made a decision," said Kershaw, questioned about it before the fourth game of the National League championship series on Tuesday. "And to my knowledge, you have 10 days after the World Series so it should be 10 days laden."

We owe $ 65 million to Kershaw over the next two seasons, the end of a $ 214 million extension that he signed with the Dodgers in January 2014. Kershaw would not want to have the opportunity to stretch a little the same annual average value a little longer. But a decision that seemed at one point to be run in advance now appears as a major dilemma.

Kershaw, who will be 31 in March, is probably the biggest pitcher of his generation and has averaged 2.73 points in 2018. But previous issues have sent him to the list of disabled people each of them. last three years and his fast ball speed dropped to the bottom. 90, causing fewer strikeouts and more balls in play.

Asked at the end of the regular season on Kershaw's withdrawal, Dodgers baseball operations president Andrew Friedman said, "Our priority is to win the 2018 World Series. I think we have confidence and communication. that allow us do not waste too much time and focus on it for the moment, that is, we and him.At time we will obviously look for it and we will have these conversations. "It's just not a preoccupation for the moment."

The only pitcher who wins more than the $ 32.5 million that Kershaw would earn on average over the next two years is his former teammate Zack Greinke, who signed a $ 206.5 million six-year contract with Arizona Diamondbacks when he was a year older than Kershaw.

David Price ($ 31 million average with the Boston Red Sox) and Max Scherzer ($ 30 million average with the Washington Nationals) signed seven-year deals after their 29-year season.

Kershaw has only completed three innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS 'first game and, with his 2-1 team reduced in the series, will take the mound with the Dodgers potentially facing an elimination in the fifth match (the first throw is at 14:05)). The imminent exclusion suggests that this will be his last appearance in the franchise that wrote in 2006.

Kershaw "tries not to" think of that.

"I think it's hard enough to try to win a game in the playoffs," he said. "I know more than everyone else knows."