Clayton Kershaw Discusses Dodgers Return: 'Pretty Amazing To Watch'

Clayton Kershaw is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 season, and potentially 2025 too if he exercises a player option in his new contract.

READ: Clayton Kershaw Has Reportedly Made His Decision On 2024 Season

Given his comments on the organization's decision to honor a group of anti-Catholic drag performers in June, it was a bit of a surprise decision. Especially considering that Kershaw underwent a significant shoulder surgery in November. But he opened up to MLB.com about his reasoning and the debate over retirement over signing with the Texas Rangers.

"I really never made a big decision in my life," Kershaw told MLB's Juan Toribio. "I got drafted by the Dodgers. I married the same girl from high school. I didn’t have many decisions to make along the way. This was really kind of the first offseason where I had some choices to make -- and it wasn’t easy. But I feel really good about it now."

"Not as quick as I thought," Kershaw continued when discussing his timeline. "Once we started gathering more information, realizing that surgery was probably the best option, it gave me a little bit of clarity with everything. Just decided to come back. It was a good offseason to kind of be home, talk with Ellen and try to figure everything out," he said. "Once I decided to come back, everybody has been great. I felt wanted even though I’m kind of damaged goods right now. It was a good feeling."

But the biggest motivating factor for his decision may have been the team's decision to go all in, bringing in a wealth of new and exciting talent, headlined by Shohei Ohtani. 

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw pitches against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Clayton Kershaw Joining Forces With Superstar Teammates

When discussing the plan executed by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and team ownership, Kershaw said it was "amazing" to see.

"This offseason has been pretty amazing to watch, honestly. There’s definitely a part of me that wanted to be a part of that," Kershaw said. "Winning an offseason doesn’t mean anything, but it’s a pretty good clubhouse of guys. The talent is probably the best I’ve ever been a part of. I’m hopeful that I can be a part of it, too."

Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, James Paxton, Manuel Margot, and the return of Jason Heyward, Ryan Brasier and Max Muncy. The Dodgers built a juggernaut of a roster, something Kershaw believes he's still capable of adding to.

"I’ve said it before, I don’t want to be average," Kershaw said. "I don’t want just pitch to pitch. I want to be good. I want to contribute and be part of this. So yeah, my expectations are no concessions. Just be good."

Some projection systems, including PECOTA from Baseball Prospectus, have the Dodgers winning more games than any team in baseball. As we've seen under the new playoff format, that doesn't mean much when it comes to October. But Los Angeles has built a talented, and exceptionally deep roster, made even deeper by adding Kershaw for the stretch run. It's an exciting time for Dodgers fans, and based on Kershaw's remarks, it's an exciting time for him too.