Clayton Kershaw DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (knee, toe) said he expects to open the 2025 regular season on the 60-day injured list, but his timetable will likely line up for him to be ready to roll once the 60 days are up. Kershaw recently re-signed with the Blue on a one-year, $7.5 million deal that will likely be his final season before retirement. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer had surgeries on both his knee and toe in the offseason and remains in recovery with spring training kicking off this week. He's been throwing on flat ground, but it remains to be seen when he'll throw off a mound, and the Dodgers have no reason to rush him along. The three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP had a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 24 K's and nine walks in his seven starts in 2024 and is no longer a must-roster player in fantasy leagues due to the injuries that have mounted in recent years.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to an undisclosed new contract, a source told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal are still pending, and Kershaw still needs to take a physical. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer declined his option for the 2025 season, but the expectation all along was that he'd return to L.A. for one more season, and now it's official. The 10-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP only made seven starts for the Blue in 2024, though, due to knee and toe injuries that both required surgery. Because injuries have piled up for him near the end of his illustrious career, he's a total dart throw in fantasy, and he most likely won't be ready to go for Opening Day in late March. Kershaw didn't make his 2024 debut until late July after undergoing offseason surgery.

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, free-agent starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (toe) has begun a throwing progression and remains in contact with the Los Angeles Dodgers to "finalize a reunion." Kershaw was only able to log 30 innings last season due to shoulder and toe injuries. Across this small stint, the southpaw posted a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He struck out 24 batters and held a strong 6.8 percent walk rate. He limited hard contact with an excellent 4.1 percent barrel rate. Throughout the offseason, sources have reported that if Kershaw were to return to the mound in 2025 to continue his Hall of Fame career, he would only pitch in Los Angeles. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the three-time Cy Young award winner's status but should expect him to sign a contract with the Dodgers when cleared to return. He would likely only have value in deeper fantasy formats, as his strikeout upside dropped significantly over the past three seasons.

According to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, free agent starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw intends to pitch in 2025. Morosi also noted that if Kershaw does return to the mound, he expects him to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 36-year-old was only able to log 30 innings of work last season due to an offseason shoulder surgery and an eventual bone spur in his toe that cut his season short in late August. During his limited stint, the southpaw held a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP with an underwhelming 18.0% K rate. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status during Spring Training as he will likely ink a one-year deal with the Dodgers if he is able to move past his most recent offseason toe surgery. The future Hall Of Famer is just 32 punchouts away from being the 20th pitcher in MLB history to tally 3,000 strikeouts. If he does return to the mound in 2025, he is worth a look in deeper NL-only formats.

Los Angles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (toe) declined his $5 million option for the 2025 season on Monday to officially become a free agent. However, Kershaw said he will be pitching for the World Series-champion Dodgers again next year no matter what. Especially after getting his second ring, the future Hall of Fame southpaw will return to LA in 2025 for what is likely to be his last year in the big leagues before hanging up his cleats. The three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP hasn't been healthy much in recent years but has still been serviceable for fantasy managers in the limited amount of time he's been on the mound. The 36-year-old made only seven starts for the Dodgers in 2024 and went 2-2 with a career-worst 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and nine walks in 30 innings. Bone spurs in his left big toe prevented him from pitching at all in the run to the World Series title.