The Rangers have been in contact with free agent starter Clayton Kershaw, Texas manager Chris Woodward told Alanna Rizzo and Chris Russo of the MLB Network yesterday (video provided by Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). It’s certainly not a surprise to hear the Rangers are interested in the Dallas native, given their apparent willingness to spend this offseason and the three-time Cy Young award winner’s ties to the area.
That’s all the more true considering Woodward’s connection to Kershaw. The Texas skipper spent three years on the Dodgers’ coaching staff before assuming his current role, a stint that overlapped with the future Hall of Famer’s run of dominance in L.A. Woodward called it an honor “to be around (Kershaw)” in Los Angeles and noted that “if he wants to come back to Texas, I’m pretty sure we’re going to welcome him.”
That’s certainly not to suggest Kershaw to Arlington is a fait accompli. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has already gone on record as saying the star southpaw “will always have a spot” in Los Angeles if he’d prefer to return to the only organization he’s ever known. In explaining the club’s decision not to issue him a qualifying offer at the start of the offseason, Friedman suggested Kershaw preferred to take some time to talk through his free agency decision with his family and to continue to rehab from the forearm/elbow injury that ended his 2021 season early.
The Dodgers and Rangers have long been viewed as the favorites to land Kershaw this winter, and it seems he’ll have his choice of either destination. Plenty of other clubs would happily jump into the bidding were Kershaw to cast a wider net geographically, although he’s been fairly quiet publicly about his preferences this offseason.
While Kershaw’s season didn’t end the way he or the Dodgers had envisioned, he remained very productive when healthy enough to pitch. Across 121 2/3 innings, the 2014 NL MVP worked to a 3.55 ERA with an elite 29.5% strikeout rate and a minuscule 4.3% walk percentage. He hasn’t posted an ERA above 4.00 since his 2008 rookie campaign, and Kershaw has incredibly managed a sub-3.00 mark in eleven of his fourteen major league seasons.
I hope Clayton is a Dodger in 2022. But I wish him success whether he is a Dodger, Ranger, or retired.
I really don’t mean this as an insult in any way, but going from the Dodgers to the Rangers would have to be a spectacular come down. From winning, culture, brand and the organization.
Even if he is declining in health, Clayton would bring a certain gravitas to Texas.
Sure, but it’s still a beautiful stadium and a nice fanbase. LA will always be his team, but at the twilight of his career maybe a change of scenery will give him a new lease on life. I picture Hamels’ tenure with Texas as an example.
Although, if I’m being honest, I can’t even picture Kershaw in any other uniform but the Dodgers.
That’s why I suspect he’ll be back as a Dodger. If the Rangers are offering $18M a season, but the Dodgers offer $15M, I’m staying in Tinseltown. He’s made boatloads. He can make millions more no matter where he signs. I’d be thinking more of my legacy for the next part of my career.
That’s you, but he may put a greater emphasis on being close to his family year round, in which case Texas would be the clear choice. To quote the great Steve Adams from tonight’s chat when asked about Matz: no one knows because Kershaw doesn’t know.
Playing near his family and trying to be part of building a winning culture in TX versus playing for the only team he knows that will be successful. It’s anyone’s guess, though Ellis’s opinion is significant.
yeah plus it is a great thing to hold over their heads – what do you mean you don’t want to give me a ride to the airport? I DID give up 3mm just to see you….
Texas has no income tax
@VonHayes….Is it? I haven’t seen it enough to form an opinion on it. From the flyover shots in the 2020 playoffs, it seemed somewhat boxy. But, that was the exterior.
I am biased against stadiums that lack a unique backdrop/skyline beyond the OF seating. Even if the roof is retracted, that stadium feels like an indoor stadium.
I’m mostly unfamiliar though, as it’s an AL park.
I’m a big time Ranger fan and have been to all 30 current ballparks. Love the fact the the Rangers stadium has AC. However, in my opinion, it’s in the bottom third of stadiums.
I’ve only been there once, but I thought it was a really nice stadium. To each their own I suppose.
The Dodgers and Rangers have the same number of full-season titles in the last 33 years.
Troll
Are you denying facts? The last 33 seasons (starting with 1989) have seen zero full-season titles for both the Dodgers and Rangers.
The “full-season” clause you put on that is the biggest cope. They played a full season in 2020. The season was 60 games. That is what everyone agreed to. They won. Get over it.
They didn’t play a full season. The season was originally scheduled for 162 games. I honestly don’t even think it needs to be a full 162 to be legit but it has to be well over 100 for sure and they need to prove that they can win a title while playing in hostile environments. As ridiculous as the split-season format was in 1981 (which deserves a huge asterisk), at least the Dodgers played in front of opposing crowds during the postseason.
How about postseason appearances and success? Care to compare successful seasons between the two over the past decade? Or the probability of postseason appearances and overall winning seasons in the years to come during the rest of Kershaw’s career? sdbaseballguy is right…your comments here amount to nothing more than insignificant trolling.
@Chief Two Hands…
The Dodgers are FAR more talented than the Rangers. With that said, they have done basically nothing with it.
Sounds like a typical Dodger fan and claiming 2020 was legit. I laugh so hard everytime I hear one say “ it was legit “ ok and so is Santa Claus. He might want to go to Texas so he doesn’t have to help the Dodgers choke away postseason year after year and that will be his legacy. Great Regular season pitcher like Maddox but not when it matters. Maddox at least can say he has won a legit title.
This actually checks out. Rangers=Dodgers.
Get over it kid. All the MLB teams agreed to play the 2020 season with a champion at the end of the season. YOU may not agree now because your team didn’t win it, but I’d bet donuts to dollars if they did all we’d hear from you right now is crickets. So laugh as hard as you want, but the fact is the Dodgers won the WS in 2020 and it was approved by every single MLB team.
It counts but it does not hold the same value. People do not understand this very simple concept.
It holds the exact same value. You are the one trying to squint really hard to see something other than a championship. You are the one not understanding a simple concept.
Anyway, the point remains. If the Dodgers want to prove that they can win a title without the season being shortened by over 100 games and playing the postseason in empty stadiums then they should do so. Until then, this narrative is completely valid. Even just winning one time under normal circumstances would change the narrative completely. With their payroll they should be more than capable…but they’ve proven year after year that they will choke.
Motte and Bailey
It doesn’t hold the same value. They barely played over one-third of a normal schedule. They only played nine of the other 29 teams in the league during the regular season. They played the postseason in neutral sites with basically no fans. Saying it’s the same as any other championship is disrespectful to the other 116 World Series winners.
I guess by your standard 29 teams choke each year and are utterly worthless.
Not so. I believe you can judge a team based on whether they’ve won at least one LEGIT title in a decade. That means up to 10 teams can be considered a success each decade…but a lot of times you will see teams win more than once, making the total number of successful teams for that decade a smaller number.
Really dumb take 48. Dodgers were so far ahead, 60 or 160 would not have mattered.
No one is doubting that they would have made the postseason. It’s about winning in the postseason after the 162-game grind, playing in front of hostile crowds and having to travel in the middle of each postseason series. That’s the difference. Everyone knows the Dodgers would have made the playoffs regardless. They always do. That’s not what anyone is questioning. To this point they haven’t proven that they can win a World Series without the season being shortened by 0ver 100 games and playing the postseason in empty stadiums with no travel during a series. They also didn’t have to face the opposing team’s “ace” as often as usual because there were no off-days during each series.
Oh now it counts.
Making the playoffs and winning a title are two completely different things. They did not deal with the normal grind of a full season and they did not deal with a normal postseason environment.
W stat
Good thing championships are won in the post season (where the Dodgers won the most post season games ever). Go to sleep, mama has your warm milk.
The Dodgers only had to win one more postseason game than a Wild Card team has to win while playing 102 more regular season games, playing in front of opposing crowds during the postseason and having to travel during the middle of a series. Also, they played weaker competition in those extra rounds due to over half of the league making the playoffs. Do you have any idea how many .500 teams were in the 2020 postseason?
I love all your qualifiers that you use to try and strengthen your arguments. Saying they just had to win one more game (because you’ve arbitrarily excluded the necessary second win required. Using 1989 as the cutoff to exclude 1988’s championship. Having more teams in the playoffs increases the chance of failure just based on the law of average.
Having more teams in the playoffs also makes the competition weaker though. The Brewers and Astros had losing records. The Marlins and Reds were basically .500 teams.
If you don’t like the 1989 cutoff then just go with a nice, round number. The Dodgers and Rangers have the same number of legitimate championships in the last 30 years.
Stronger actually because more games needed to be played against better teams (yes I am aware the brewers were under .500) but the point is they had to play more games to win.
They only had to win one more postseason game than a Wild Card team has to win and they didn’t have to face the one-game playoff scenario. They also played less than 40 percent of a normal schedule, only played nine of the other 29 teams during the regular season and played the postseason at neutral sites with basically no fans. It’s not even close to the same.
Winning what exactly?
And this is why he’d make sense as an Astro
Sorry but no please no that no
he’d get to go back home and play in front of his hometown crowd. He doesn’t have anything else to prove in LA, and I’m sure he’ll welcome the mental well being of not having Dodger clown fans tearing him apart the second he has a poor outing, like they so often do.
You insult the international clown community here!
Would be such a sad way for him to end his career. Withering away on the awful rangers. Obviously they’re in the middle of a rebuild and he’s from the Dallas area. But just seems like a terrible situation for both
Kershaw is from Texas so the only team besides Dodgers I see him pitching for would be Rangers because we all know there is a 0% chance he plays for the other team in Texas
Don’t rule out the San Antonio Scorpions later in the decade.
The one thing I know about Kershaw is he is the ultimate competitor and he wants to win. No way he goes to a last place ranger team
I hope he goes back to LA. But if there is one thing that I know about Clayton it is family will be first.
Wrong – after money . Probably a five @ best . 1×6 @ best
wrong. he’s already made $257 + million on the field. plenty of money. he’s going to do what’s best for his family. if it means playing in Texas close to home, he’ll do it.
1 x6 as in 1 year 6 million? You dumb as hell lmao.
What if he goes to the 3rd place Rangers?
As a lifelong Dodger fan, it pains me to read this. It’s like thinking about your girl with the bouncer from the local frat bar. Don’t leave us, Kersh!
The Braves may have ended his Dodgers career without having thrown a single pitch against them this October.
Does leaving a voicemail count as contact?
Text from Chris Young: U up?
it’s kind of like a poor girl buying an used chanel bag.
just come back to LA PLEASE!!!!! They should have had better bullpens in your prime…they should have changed signed more frequently in 2017 against Astros…you should have 3 rings at least…come back for 2 more…
Three? 2017 definitely could have gone differently without some blown leads but that’s it…and 2020 wasn’t even a legit season.
And you’re certainly not providing legitimate content. Climb back under your rock please.
Point to those “three rings” the Dodgers should have. Where are they? I see one “ring” with an asterisk and a bunch of choke jobs. They haven’t proven that they can win a title without the season being shortened by over 100 games and playing the postseason in empty stadiums. If they want to change that narrative then they need to win a legitimate title. If they can’t do so then the narrative is valid.
You seem bent on repeating this over and over. That 60 game championship must’ve really hurt you. Let’s just call it a makeup for 2017, yeah the year is wrong but the total titles (7) is the same in the end
Also your ridiculously stupid expansion ideas are the only thing illegitimate here
Most of the expansion cities I’ve mentioned are legitimate. Charlotte, Nashville, Las Vegas, Portland, San Antonio, Buffalo and Indianapolis are all at least somewhat realistic. Obviously “Wichita Warlocks” and “Albuquerque Desert Dogs” are jokes.
You’re not a legit poster, so there is that.
I hope the “respect” or whatever the Dodgers garnered by not QO’ing Kershaw was worth it, lmfao.
This Dodgers “run” is about to come to an end. It’s time for them to return to Brooklyn.
You are a clown.
It’s safe to say this troll roots for an NL West rival
Actually, my team just won the World Series against a team that you hate. You could honestly say we avenged you.
@48-team MLB- How old are you 5 years old? You’re way past your nap time.
This is what happens when you can’t handle the truth. You start with these pathetic playground insults. People are just mad because both our NLCS MVP and World Series MVP were acquired midseason for nothing of legitimate value while the Dodgers failed to win a legitimate title yet again with that ridiculous payroll.
This happens when you can’t handle facts. I have to use playground insults, because you sound like a 5 year old crying about something he didn’t get for Christmas from Santa. You completely ignore the fact that the Astros cheated during the WS and insist the Dodgers choked versus saying without the Astros cheating the Dodgers would have won based on the series going 7. Your bias has been comprised son, but unfortunately for YOU it will never change the legit 2020 WS Champion in the record books. You can resume your crying now.
Incorrect. If the Astros hadn’t cheated then they wouldn’t have been in the World Series in the first place. The Dodgers would have lost to someone else. Also, why is it only the Dodgers that had this problem? The Royals beat the Astros in 2015. The Red Sox beat the Astros in 2018. The Nationals beat the Astros in 2019. All of those postseasons happened before the scandal became public knowledge. Then the Braves beat them this year…and the Rays beat them in the fake 2020 season.
Wow! You are a piece of work. When your mind matures in about 10 years, read what you just posted and you’ll realize you were way too young to discuss baseball at this age.
You haven’t disproven anything I’ve said. You’ve just resorted to childish insults because that’s all you have when you can’t face reality.
You keep going on and on about how the Astros “only won because they cheated” but you completely ignore the fact that they probably would have lost to the Red Sox or Yankees if they hadn’t been doing that stuff. The Dodgers likely would have had a different World Series opponent so you can’t say that they would have won because no one knows that for a fact. You also ignore the fact that someone has beaten Houston in the postseason every single time they’ve made it except for 2017…even though this scandal is said to have taken place over multiple years. The Dodgers have the highest payroll in baseball. They should be able to win a legitimate title. Until they do so then the narrative will remain the same.
In your tiny little narrative mind kid does it remain the same. Thanks for laugh on your assumptions… you sounded like the 5 year old I thought you were. Aside from probably some SF fans and the Dodger haters like you the overwhelming majority of fans agree the Dodgers are the legit WS Champions. And where it counts the most all MLB teams recognize them as such and so does MLB. A little advice, don’t let this championship live in your mind … there’s more to life than trying to change something you can never change or manipulate.
You are essentially admitting that the Dodgers can’t win a real championship. If they could then you wouldn’t be clinging to this fake championship so much. Do you see the point now? Win a real title with that absurd payroll. If they’re going to drive up the free agent prices to unheard of levels then at least prove that it helps win championships…REAL championships.
No, kid that’s not what my point was regarding the Astros. My point was you ignoring the actual fact, not assumption like you displayed with your “ the Dodgers would have lost if the the Astros didn’t cheat” garbage has exposed your bias. You’ll never win an argument with that blatant bias. Never did I say the 2020 WS wasn’t a real championship. I know you want to win so badly, but putting words in my mouth is not the way to do it. All my posts are backed by facts that anyone can look up and yours are only assumptions. You’ll never win or change views with assumptions.
The Dodgers have not proven that they can win a championship under normal circumstances. If they do so then I will 100 percent give them credit. Until then they have to live with this narrative. I guess you really can’t buy trophies…
If I’m not mistaken, the Kershaw era began in 2008. Here are the Dodgers postseason results in full seasons since then…
2008: Lost NLCS to Phillies
2009: Lost NLCS to Phillies
2013: Lost NLCS to Cardinals
2014: Lost NLDS to Cardinals
2015: Lost NLDS to Mets
2016: Lost NLCS to Cubs
2017: Lost WS to Astros
2018: Lost WS to Red Sox
2019: Lost NLDS to Nationals
2021: Lost NLCS to Braves
The fact that their only “championship” came in a season that was shortened by 102 games with a postseason that was played in empty stadiums at neutral sites is not coincidence. Look at all those postseason losses in REAL seasons. That is a very large sample size.
Lol … just to educate you kid the LA Dodgers have 6 WS titles. Lastly, I could care less if you give them credit or not. You live by assumptions. Lol.
I know. They have four real titles (1959, 1963, 1965, 1988), one questionable title (1981) and one fake title (2020).
The fact that you keep responding proves that you DO care.
Obviously this is keeping you up late at night … you poor thing. When you grow up there will more stressful things than the big bad Dodgers. Lol.
Big bad Dodgers? My team literally just won the World Series three weeks ago and they beat the Dodgers in the process.
How about you losers have your ridiculous argument somewhere that isn’t threaded under one of my comments that never had anything to do with what you are both crying about?
My team just won a championship. A REAL championship.
AF took a crap this morning with more sense than you.
Makes sense…. That city wears on you.
I’m sorry you were a broke ass when you lived here
Kershaw is a below-average player that can’t stay on the field.
That’s a big cast on that line.
Tell us more about how he is “below average”.
Let him go and spend the money elsewhere.
It would be weird to see Kershaw in anything other than Dodger blue.
Damn ….has anyone seen Milo? Looking forward to his take.
Rangers need to be fined immediately for even being in contact with Kershaw.. Focus on building a true sustainable winner, not selling tickets. Swear, some organizations need to be fined for pure incompetence. As if they still won’t be .40 games under .500 even with Kershaw.
Rangers are the type of organization to give up a potential worst record in baseball, thus missing out on a generational talent #1 pick… who knows … to put butts in the seats. They deserve a standing ovation for the way they run a baseball team … You’re in no position to win, yet pretend that you are ?… alright … thus hindering your ability to actually build a sustainable winner in the future by adding an older guy who may net you a few more wins in the present.. Awesome.
Nolan Ryan was slighted by the Astros with a low ball offer and the assumption he was past his prime.
A change of scenery worked out well for Ryan and brought instant credibility/mentorship to the Rangers.
Signing Kershaw is looked in the same way.
He’s always played in L. A. But lives in DFW and is very active in charity work here.
May not eventually pay off in wins but it would be worth every penny that management has to pay.
The Dodger run of *success has come to a halt, it would seem. 2052 cannot come soon enough!
I think he signs a 2-3 year deal w/ Texas as long as they have a good offseason. I can’t imagine him signing with them if they don’t make the moves to become a legit contender
I’d be perfectly fine with seeing a different Texas team in the playoffs soon. I know it won’t be 2022 but maybe by 2025.
I believe kershaw would be expected to do really well in Texas. Anyway that is the hope that the Rangers are wanting. This would try to draw other good players to build off of. if he stays with the Dodgers he has nothing to prove. And he could be more laid-back and pitch at his own pace.
I can see the Angels making a run at him. Probably not a successful one but the pitch isn’t that hard:
Six man rotation to stay healthy, same Spring Training home, same regular season home. We visit the Rangers and Astros several times per year so more family time than the Dodgers. Better team than the Rangers.
I still think he goes back to the Dodgers.
I can’t see Kershaw leaving LA to go to the Rangers coming off 100 losses even tho it’s his hometown. Kershaw is in the tail end of his career he should be chasing a WS ring and not helping a rebuilding team trying to avoid 100 losses again
Rangers dialling Kershaws agent
Team Kershaw “hello”
Rangers “it’s the rangers calling about Kershaw”
Team Kershaw hangs up
= Report Rangers contact Kershaw
Kershaw shocks everybody – stays in LA and goes to the AL West… by signing with the Angels.
Kershaw has had quite the career. He deserves to get paid
Kershaw should retire as a Dodger. I hope he stays.