Dodgers analyst points key reason Clayton Kershaw gets spot in rotation ft. Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue from going strength to strength this offseason as the NL Pennant winners reportedly won the race for coveted Japanese ace Roki Sasaki on Friday.

Roki Sasaki announced the Dodgers as his next destination, ending his much-talked-about international free agency. However, the addition of the 23-year-old sensation could be a worrying sign for Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, who is hoping to re-sign with the team for the 2025 season.

Although the Dodgers' rotation seems stacked with the arrival of Sasaki and Blake Snell earlier this offseason and Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound in 2025, Dodgers analyst Alana Rizzo feels Kershaw will be part of the LA rotation.

When Clint Pasillas of "Dodgers Territory" asked co-host Alana Rizzo if there was room for Kershaw on the Dodgers rotation, she replied emphatically (22:10 onwards):

"Absolutely. Because, unfortunately, these five starters, if Dustin May is, in fact, the fifth, they're not going to stay healthy the entire season, right? So you get Clayton Kershaw back in August-September, maybe even just October, you know, and he has a healthy arm, a healthy foot. Everything that's been ailing him is not overworked because he hasn't pitched for the majority of the season. There's always room for Kershaw, of course."

While Rizzo believes the veteran Dodgers ace could be eased back into the rotation after his surgery last year, Pasillas argued against Kershaw being a top-five starter in the rotation at the business end of the season. Rizzo pushed back at the notion, saying:

"They're not gonna all be healthy. They're not."

Clayton Kershaw can be part of a six-man rotation for the Dodgers.

Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young winner and a World Series winner, is a potential first-ballot Hall of Famer when he calls time on his illustrious career, all with the Dodgers.

Although Kershaw will be turning 37 in March, the veteran pitcher has shown intent to pitch next season after an injury-riddled 2024. While it is hard to see the ten-time All-Star make the starting rotation with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell in a five-man rotation, Kershaw can be part of a six-man rotation.

Given injury concerns to Yamamoto, Glasnow and even Snell with the Giants, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could use Kershaw's experience and guile to keep the arms in the rotation fresh.