After a long wait, the Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized a contract with veteran starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, keeping him for what would be his 17th season in Dodger Blue. For a bit, it seemed like Kershaw was entertaining the idea of a departure, especially in the aftermath of the Dodgers' blockbuster acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, there were a myriad of reasons that made staying with the team he's called home for nearly two decades now the best course of action.

According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, there were three main factors that convinced Kershaw to re-sign with the Dodgers. For one, Kershaw wanted the feeling of familiarity as he recovers from the offseason shoulder surgery he underwent back in November. The Dodgers have his surgeon, Dr Neal ElAttrache, on staff as head physician, which should grease the wheels of his rehab process as he spends time in his hometown of Dallas, Texas.

Moreover, Clayton Kershaw wanted to strengthen his legacy as one of the greatest Dodgers of all time, and that would have been difficult if he didn't re-sign with the team. If Kershaw signed with another team, his Dodgers tenure would have ended on his putrid start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLDS. But now, Kershaw has a chance to write a storybook ending to his LA stint.

To that end, the third reason outlined by Harris as to why Kershaw returned to the Dodgers is that he believes that LA gives him the best chance to compete for his second World Series ring. The Dodgers have arguably the deepest team in the league after their huge additions in free agency, and as a result, Kershaw shouldn't feel any pressure to rush himself in his rehab from shoulder surgery, as the team should have more than enough weapons to hold the fort in his absence.

Once Clayton Kershaw returns, the Dodgers will have quite an embarrassment of riches in their starting rotation. At present, they already have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller, and James Paxton, and Kershaw's eventual return (not to mention Shohei Ohtani's) should make them the favorite to win plenty of World Series trophies this decade.