Kershaw reportedly returning to Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers are closing in on a one year deal for the veteran lefthander to return to Los Angeles, per multiple reports.

Kershaw has spent his entire career with the Dodgers, though he is a native of the Metroplex, and there has long been speculation about the possibility he might end his career in Texas with the Rangers. Most prognosticators have said, both last offseason (when he was a free agent and signed a one year deal with the Dodgers) and heading into this offseason, that the only team other than the Dodgers who would be in play for Kershaw was Texas.

The Dodgers did not make a qualifying offer to Kershaw either last year or this year — the team said last year that, in essence, they didn’t want to force a deadline on Kershaw, and wanted to show him the respect they felt he had earned as a homegrown player who has had a Hall of Fame career.

The Rangers have also been linked to Carlos Rodon and Jacob deGrom, among many other pitchers, and Kershaw always seemed more like a potential bonus addition, rather than a key part of an offseason plan. In any case, this allows us to scratch Kershaw off the list immediately.