Clayton Kershaw entered the 2022 offseason with a number of options. He could have signed with a new team, or even called it a career. Kershaw, however, opted to re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although, he didn't ink a long-term contract, as Kershaw signed a one-year deal for the 2023 campaign. Many veteran players prefer to land multi-year contracts for stability reasons, but Kershaw recently revealed why he agreed to a one-year deal with the Dodgers, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, per Yahoo News.

“Every time you sign that contract for a team, in my head, you are 100% committed to doing whatever you can to help your team win,” Clayton Kershaw said. “And that’s not easy. You have to be good. It’s not a, ‘Oh, you should be good.’ No. You have to be. And if you’re not, you’re not fulfilling your commitment. It just turns out that right now, I feel fully committed to this year. It might be [the same] next year. But I love the freedom of not being committed. … I like the ability to reset after every year.”

Kershaw, a future Hall of Famer, has led by example for the Dodgers over the past decade. He's a well-respected presence in the clubhouse and is arguably the best pitcher of the past generation. And at 35-years old, Kershaw is still finding plenty of success.

Clayton Kershaw is prepared to give everything he has to the Dodgers in 2023. Los Angeles has their sights set on a World Series championship, and that is Kershaw's primary goal this year. His long-term future, however, remains uncertain. He will enter next offseason in a similar situation to this past offseason.

Based on his comments, though, that is how Kershaw prefers things to be.