Chicago Cubs: Is Clayton Kershaw poised to jump ship?

Most Chicago Cubs fans are focused on position player free agents. But if Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw opts out, things could get interesting.

If one were to look at the past decade of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball, they would see a dominant team, one winning an average of 91 games per season. If one were to look at how that peak was reached, they would understand that it seemingly would not have happened without stud southpaw Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw has been the staple in Los Angeles, carrying the rotation across this past decade. For Kershaw, he is a starting pitcher who appears likely destined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame down the line. However, his legacy would undoubtedly be cemented with a World Series championship.

Following the 2013 regular seasons, the Dodgers did what any sensible franchise would do, with a franchise player, deciding to sign Kershaw to a long-term contract totaling $215 million across seven years. However, the agreement includes an opt-out clause which Kershaw could execute if he so chooses.

That being said, a player who has dealt with a lingering back injury, causing him to miss significant time across the past two seasons, it would undoubtedly be in Kershaw’s best interest to return to the blue and white.