The time has come once again for Clayton Kershaw to make choices about his MLB future. Will he return for a 17th season with the Los Angeles Dodgers? Will he head back home and play for the Texas Rangers? Or will the future first-ballot Hall of Famer decide to hang up the spikes?

For the past few offseasons, those have been the three potential paths for Kershaw, and the first path has always won. However, after a disappointing postseason exit on the wrong side of a sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks, this time feels a little bit different.

Kershaw is going to take some time before making his decision this year. The three-time Cy Young Award-winner wasn't sure how to feel after Wednesday's loss to Arizona. “I don't know how to answer that right now,” Kershaw said. He also said he probably wouldn't seriously think about his future for at least a few weeks.

One factor is the lefty's shoulder health. He injured his throwing shoulder in June, and the issue has bothered him ever since. It will require further examination to determine the long-term implications of the injury.

Kershaw didn't blame his health on a poor performance in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks. He recorded only one out and surrendered six runs in his only postseason start of the year. However, the nagging shoulder issue could have had something to do with it. When Kershaw returned to the mound in August, his fastball velocity was lower than it had been all season, indicating he still wasn't fully healthy.

“Obviously, a horrible way to end it, personally,” Kershaw said. “But that’s ultimately not important. It’s just how I didn’t help the team win the series. That’s the most disappointing part, letting your guys down.” This was certainly a disappointing end to what had been yet another strong season for the Dodgers.

With that bitter exit in mind, it's hard to see Kershaw going out on that note. His legendary career can't end with the worst start of his life. For that matter, his time with the Dodgers can't end like that either. Chances are Kershaw uses the offseason to get his shoulder right and re-ups his annual one-year Dodgers contract.