MLB 2026 Season

Now that the 2018 World Series is over, Los Angeles Dodgers ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw has three days to decide whether or not to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent.

Kershaw has yet to make up his mind.

"I know future questions are obviously coming for myself," he said, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. "I've got three days now to think about all of that stuff before anything happens. And so it will be an eventful three days for me, and I'll try to figure it out."

If Kershaw decides not to opt out of his contract, he will be paid $32 million in 2019 and $33 million in 2020 before hitting free agency in 2021, according to Cot's Contracts.

Otherwise, he will hit free agency this offseason and either negotiate a new contract to stay in Los Angeles or leave to sign with a new team.

"I haven't made the decision yet," Kershaw added. "We have three days to talk, between us and the Dodgers, see what happens. And then we'll go from there."

In the spring, team owner Mark Walter said they should make the seven-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner "a Dodger for life."

If this is the end of his tenure in L.A., he will go out on a bit of a sour note after back-to-back World Series losses.

The 30-year-old has cemented himself as one of the best - if not the best - Dodgers pitchers of all time. Over 11 seasons, he's gone 153-69 with a 2.39 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 in 2,096 1/3 regular-season innings.