Once he determined his left elbow was totally healthy, first-time free agent Clayton Kershaw narrowed down his choice: Stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers or remain home in Texas with the Rangers? The deciding factor, the longtime LA ace said, was the Dodgers’ championship caliber roster and mentality.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the first person he called once the lockout ended was Kershaw.
“My kids are older and getting in school, the draw being home more, and keeping them in school is big, there’s no secret to that,’’ said Kershaw, who turns 34 on Saturday. “I think it’s really cool that people do that … I think it is a very awesome thing,’’ he said. “You think about the guys who have done that. It doesn’t really happen recently as much any more either.’’
After winning the World Series in 2020, Kershaw’s injured forearm and elbow sidelined him for the 2021 playoffs, where the Dodgers fell two wins shy of advancing to the World Series. Kershaw avoided surgery and patiently amped up his production throughout January.“Every day I’d feel better, I wasn’t as sore, I wasn’t as sore,’’ he said. “I started throwing off the mound a little bit more, and kept bouncing back, and just kind of one day, I realized, ‘man, I’m healthy.
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