‘Dodger for life’ Clayton Kershaw officially re-signs for 18th year – San Bernardino Sun

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The brief era when Dodgers fans had to worry about Clayton Kershaw finishing his Hall of Fame career elsewhere – perhaps closer to his home in Texas – has passed.

Kershaw proclaimed himself a “Dodger for life” at the World Series parade last fall and put his name on the dotted line again Thursday, officially re-signing for an 18th season as a Dodger. Kershaw’s tenure is the longest for a pitcher and matches the longest for any player in franchise history (joining Zach Wheat and Bill Russell in the 18-timer’s club). He is only the 59th player in MLB history to spend 18 seasons with one team, the only active player with that distinction.

“I’m a Dodger,” Kershaw said Thursday at his usual locker in the clubhouse at Camelback Ranch. “I’m so thankful for this organization. I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times, at what it means to be able to be in one organization for your entire career. You look at people throughout all of sports that have been able to do that, and it is special. It is. I don’t want to lose sight of that. Getting to be here for my whole career – however long that is – is definitely a goal. Thankful that I get to continue this journey.”

He will continue that journey with a surgically repaired left foot and knee. Kershaw had surgery on both shortly after that victory parade and will continue his rehab in Texas after a brief visit to the Dodgers’ camp this week.

“Honestly, the foot surgery’s been hard. It’s not a fun surgery,” said Kershaw, who had chronic problems in his big toe, including ligament damage and bone spurs. “It’s just not an easy process. Walking’s been hard and all that stuff, but I finally started to turn the corner a few weeks ago. Being able to throw and all those things … it hasn’t felt this way in a while, so it’s good. The knee’s been fine. So really within the last month, I kind of knew I was going to turn the corner.”

Kershaw spent four weeks on crutches, four more in a walking boot and was just cleared to start running this week. His throwing is limited to flat ground work and long toss. Throwing off a mound and bullpen sessions will come sometime next month, he said.

A year ago, he was rehabbing from shoulder surgery.

“With a shoulder, you can still walk and do a lot of stuff. I was back to being a normal dad pretty quick,” Kershaw said. “Being on crutches, being in a boot, having every step kind of hurt, it was hard. I don’t know if I expected all that foot surgery entails, but thankful now to kind of be on the other side. I feel like I’m getting closer to being 100 percent.”

The Dodgers will pay Kershaw a $7.5 million base salary with bonuses for time spent on the active roster and starts made. They are expected to put him on the 60-day injured list, delaying the start of his season until late May at the earliest. Following shoulder surgery, he did not make his first start for the Dodgers last season until July 25. He made just seven starts before the pain in his foot became too much for him to pitch through effectively.

“I think my timeline is definitely sooner (this year),” Kershaw said.

The timeline for his retirement is still undetermined. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who will turn 37 next month, said it’s a year-to-year decision.

“I hope this is the last time I have to rehab. I’m kind of done with that,” he said. “But at the same time, I don’t want that to be the reason that I stop playing. I don’t want to be, ‘I just can’t do it hurt,’ you know?

“Hopefully I can walk out on my own terms, whenever that is. But it just didn’t kind of feel like it was the right time, even though we won (last year). Being on the shelf for that wasn’t the way that I had scripted it out. I’m still super thankful to be a part of it last year and get to see everything. But I want to be out there when it happens. Always a good motivating factor, for sure.”