The elephant in the room sits firmly, and it will remain until it doesn’t. Clayton Kershaw’s contract with the Dodgers expires at the conclusion of the 2018 season. There has been no indication that Kershaw will be elsewhere in 2019 and beyond. But until the ink hits the paper of a new contract, it’s only normal that a little bit of unrest resides in Dodgerland. The Dodgers are already making it vocal where they stand on Kershaw’s future.

Dodgers owner Mark Walter spoke to Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports over the weekend. Here’s what he had to say:

He’s a Dodger,” Walter told FanRag Sports before the Dodgers’ spring training game against the rival Diamondbacks. “He should be a Dodger for life.” “I couldn’t possibly say anything that hasn’t been said about Clayton Kershaw – He’s something special.”

Within the article, Kershaw responded fondly and positively in his response to hearing Walter’s comments. Heyman also gave us a clue to where things are at with the extension talks at the current time. Before you read ahead, don’t get discouraged.

There’s been no inkling how things are going to this point in the talks, or even if there are talks, with the Dodgers sticking to the party line that there’s an “open dialogue” until now. However, it sounded like Walter provided a strong hint nothing’s close yet, or perhaps even in concrete discussion. “He likes to wait until the end, and I don’t blame him,” Walter said.

More Kershaw comments are listed within the article – many to the effect of how fortunate he’s been during his run in Los Angeles and how much he loves being there. The resounding conclusion he comes to is that he will see where things sit at the conclusion of the season.

Heyman points to several key factors beyond the owner’s desire to make Kershaw a Dodger for life. The Dodgers being below the $197 million dollar tax threshold is a great position for them to be in in terms of adding a star player. While Heyman mentions the possibility of Bryce Harper, he sees it far more likely that the Dodgers simply retain Kershaw. He also thinks it’s hard to picture Kershaw wearing a Rangers uniform – with Texas being whispered as a ‘possibility’.

Analysis:

The overwhelming feeling within the national media is that the Dodgers are going to re-sign Kershaw. These are people who are paid to cover the game every day. With that, they also discuss it amongst one another on a day-in, day-out basis. They are well connected and if there was any sign of troubled waters down the line in the Dodgers extending their iconic left-hander, we would certainly hear of it. That’s not to say that things can’t change, but as of the time of this post it certainly seems that the Dodgers will do everything in their possibility to make sure Kershaw retires a Dodger. For now, you should be resting easy on the pillow at night. Your Kershaw jersey still has a lot of good years left in it, barring something very unforeseen.

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