3 rumors that would ruin Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason

1. Clayton Kershaw to Texas

Sorry, but we’re just not ready for this. Not here, not now, not until he’s 39.

And even then, it’d sting to watch Clayton Kershaw in another uniform, and no number of offputting Matthew Stafford references would make it worth it.

The latest Kershaw news we have came from Friedman, who hinted that the left-hander will be biding his time and talking out next steps with his family before proceeding. The man in charge made it obvious that Kershaw is a Dodger for life figuratively … but that might not translate to the literal space.

After all, Friedman’s words sounded a bit ominous. Might Kershaw’s elbow be worse than we thought? Could he opt to simply retire rather than run it back with the Dodgers or anybody else? Or is he receiving a recruiting pitch from a little bit closer to home, and he wants to spend some time with the inner sanctum to talk things out before leaving Hollywood?

The bottom line is that Kershaw in any other uniform would feel wrong. He’s also far from a luxury item in Los Angeles; the Dodgers really and truly need him to round out their starting five. If his elbow issue precludes him from contributing this year, that would be a genuine blow to the team’s chances of capturing another World Series.

Now is not the time for swan songs. If the Dodgers smell the Rangers making a genuine bid — rumor has it they’ll spend up to $100 million this offseason — they’ll need to snuff that out at a reasonable price.

If Texas walks away with both Corey Seager and Kershaw? That means war.

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