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It is truly hard to consider the contemporary Los Angeles Dodgers without Clayton Kershaw coming to mind almost immediately. Kershaw is number 3 on the list of pitchers with the most wins in a Dodgers uniform, and he will now have the chance to go even higher on that list.
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"We now know the numbers on Clayton Kershaw's 2023 contract with the Dodgers" - @ Talkin Baseball
The Dodgers are the only team that Kershaw has ever known. He was drafted 7th overall by the team in 2006 and has been a regular starter in LA since 2008. 14 years later, he remains the jewel of their rotation.
Kershaw, a Texas native, won the NL Cy Young Award as a 23-year-old in 2011. This made him the youngest pitcher to be bestowed with the prestigious pitching award since Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets did so in 1985, three years before Kershaw was even born.
In 2013, Kershaw won his second Cy Young Award after posting an ERA of 1.83, the best in the MLB. The Dodgers knew that they had to lock down the leftie. They penned a seven-year deal with Clayton Kershaw worth $215 million.
Kershaw followed up with another Cy Young Award in 2014 and struck out 300 batters in 2015. However, by 2016, injuries began to weigh the talented Kershaw down, he made only 21 starts that year, the lowest to date in his career.
Over the next two seasons, injuries began to pile up even more. Shoulder problems limited him to only 10 starts in 2020. In 2021, he had to sit out most of the summer with forearm issues.
Recognizing the talent, but wary of injury problems, the Dodgers struck a 1-year deal with Kershaw worth $17 million. In 2022, Kershaw struck out Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers to surpass Don Sutton as the franchise leader in strikeouts.
"Clayton Kershaw’s contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per source: one-year, $20 million with a $5 million signing bonus." - @ Robert Murray
In December 2022, Kershaw reached another deal with the Dodgers. They agreed to another one-year deal that would net Kershaw $20 million, including a $5 million signing bonus. The Dodgers' management is no doubt wary of the injuries that have been piling up for Kershaw, who is now 34.
The last thing they want is a situation similar to that of Steven Strasburg. Due to an unduly large contract, the Washington Nationals have to pay Strasburg $40 million per year until 2026, despite the fact that injuries may have closed the book on his career.
Clayton Kershaw has a chance to become the second-winningest Dodgers pitcher this season
Currently, Clayton Kershaw has amassed 197 wins in a Dodgers uniform. That puts him 12 wins behind Don Drysdale, who has 209. While Kershaw may be unlikely to catch Don Sutton who has 233 wins to his name, Drysdale's record looks breakable this year. If Kershaw can stay healthy, the Dodgers have already made the best signing of the 2022 offseason.
