Dodgers Clayton Kershaw Still Interested In Reunion

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The Dodgers have added  and  to a rotation already expected to return  and  . Injured righties  and  are both in line to be ready for Opening Day as well. Thats six viable rotation arms, before even accounting for younger pitchers whove now been pushed into depth roles:  ,  ,  and  among them.  Ben Rortvedt Jersey  Despite that stock of arms, the organization still seems open to and likely to re-sign lefty  . General manager  said yesterday that the newcomers on the pitching staff havent altered the teams interest in Kershaw ( ). Kershaw, 37 in March, is recovering surgery to repair a torn meniscus and a second surgery to addre s bone spurs and a ruptured plantar plate in his foot. Hes working through a throwing program but is not yet pitching off a mound, per Gomes.  In each of the past two offseasons, theres been at least a bit of intrigue as to where the future Hall of Famer might sign. It was a two-team market in those instances, with Kershaw expected to either remain in L.A. or sign a short-term deal with the Rangers, who play within driving distance of his Texas home. After the Dodgers captured a World Series title last year, however, Kershaw declared himself a Dodger for life. He subsequently reiterated to The Athletics Fabian Ardaya not long after that he for an 18th season in 2025.  Given that a reunion is something of a  fait accompli  , it seems theres no rush to get a contract finalized. Kershaw back in November. The two parties are widely expected to work out a new arrangement. From the Dodgers vantage point, itd be beneficial to hold off on formalizing anything until spring training has commenced. Theyre already facing a 40-man roster crunch with the looming but not-yet-finalized deals with  and  .  The Dodgers need to open one 40-man spot for that pair  theyre currently at 39 players  and re-signing Kershaw now would mean jettisoning a second 40-man player. If he signs after camp opens, though, the Dodgers will be able to accommodate his addition by placing an injured player on the 60-day IL. The Dodgers have a whopping five pitchers who are on the 40-man and recovering from major surgeries.  will following shoulder surgery.  had shoulder surgery in October and . Each of  (Aug. 25),  (July 30) and  (May 16) had Tommy John surgery last year. Theyll all very likely be placed on the 60-day IL at some point.  The aforementioned knee and foot injuries, paired with Kershaws rehab from Nov. 2023 shoulder surgery, combined to limit the three-time Cy Young winner to just 30 innings in 2024. He posted a 4.50 ERA with an 18% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate, showing strong command but uncharacteristically low swing-and-mi s abilities. Kershaws fastball sat at a career-low 89.9 mph on average last season, and his slider and curveball each saw a dip in velo as well (particularly the latter).  Theres no telling the extent to which he can regain some of the lost velocity, but from 2019-23, Kershaw notched a 2.77 ERA and 27.5% strikeout rate over 616 1/3 innings even while averaging just 90.7 mph on his heater. He doesnt need to get his velocity back up to or even close to its 93-94 mph peak to have succe s. The Dodgers are in the top tier of luxury penalization yet again, so any dollars allocated to Kershaw will come with a 110% tax.  Shane Mcclanahan Jersey