The Los Angeles Dodgers did not make SP Clayton Kershaw or DH JD Martinez a qualifying offer, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

The offer sits at $20.325 million this season. If teams makes the offer to a player, the player has a specific amount of time to accept or decline it. If he accepts it, then he is under contract for one more season with that team. However, declining the offer gives the team a compensatory draft pick when he signs elsewhere.

Kershaw and Martinez won't even have the option to accept or decline since neither of them were extended the offer. The question is why did the Dodgers choose not to give them the offer?

Clayton Kershaw's situation with Dodgers

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw at Dodger Stadium

Kershaw has not been given the offer over the past few offseasons because the Dodgers didn't want to rush his free agency decision, Harris reports.

Last year, it was reported that Kershaw was likely to either sign with the Dodgers, sign with the Texas Rangers, or retire. He ended up returning to LA on a one-year deal, but not on a qualifying offer since he was not offered one in the first place.

This season, Kershaw enters the offseason fresh off of shoulder surgery. Kershaw still hopes to pitch at some point in 2024, however.

Teams may be hesitant to sign him given the injury concern though. One would imagine that the Dodgers would be open to re-signing him, but they will allow the future Hall-of-Famer to have time to make his decision in free agency.

Shohei Ohtani's impact on JD Martinez

Dodgers' JD Martinez at Dodger Stadium

JD Martinez enjoyed a solid 2023 season. Often times, he would receive the qualifying offer from teams. And typically, a player coming off of an All-Star season would decline the offer.

The Dodgers don't want to risk him accepting the qualifying offer though. Los Angeles is of course linked to Shohei Ohtani, who also happens to be a DH. If the Dodgers were to make Martinez a qualifying offer and he accepted, that would place them in a difficult position when it comes to signing Ohtani.

Despite performing well in 2023, Martinez is already 36-years old and may opt to take the guaranteed money. So with no qualifying offer on the table, Martinez now becomes eligible to sign anywhere he wants without a draft pick attached to him.