Clayton Kershaw's stunning retirement throws Dodgers playoff roster into question

On Thursday, Clayton Kershaw announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2025 season, putting an end to his storied 18-season career with the Dodgers. He pitched his last regular season start at home against the Giants on Friday night. He held a press conference ahead of the series opener and was emotional, but he insisted that he felt at peace with the decision.

There's still a postseason for the Dodgers to get through, but there are no guarantees that Kershaw will be a part of it. Ahead of Kershaw's presser, Dave Roberts said, "I still feel there is a role for him, a spot for him," but he added that the Dodgers have yet to make final decisions on playoff rosters.

A postseason spot for Kershaw feels like a no-brainer in many respects. There's still that October specter hanging over his career. He hasn't always been awful in the playoffs — let's not forget the scoreless eight-inning start he threw against the Brewers in 2020, or his 2.31 ERA in two starts in the World Series that year — but the blowups are all anyone remembers. Who else is more deserving of one final go-around (and final chance) to prove everyone wrong?

But the Dodgers' rotation is already crowded, and if they want to make room for Shohei Ohtani, someone was going to have to go.

Will Clayton Kershaw pitch in postseason for Dodgers after shocking retirement announcement?

The Dodgers have been exploring their options with Ohtani. They've kept the door open on him pitching in relief, if they can find a way to work around the specific wording of the two-player rule, and have reportedly even discussed having him play the outfield to try and facilitate that. But the cleanest way to do it would be to have him start. According to Roberts and Andrew Friedman, that's where their heads are at right now.

That makes a four-man rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani. Objectively, it is a more dominant rotation without Kershaw.

And Roberts didn't totally close the door on using Kershaw in some capacity. If they go on a deep run, it's almost impossible to envision the future Hall of Famer not contributing one bit.

Whatever the Dodgers decide, the possibility that Friday night might be the last time we ever see him pitch on a major league mound gives fans all the more reason to cherish every moment of that start.