3 Dodgers free agents who will leave, and 2 who will return in 2024

Dodgers Free Agent Who Will Leave: Clayton Kershaw

Prior to Game 3 of the NLDS, legendary left-hander Clayton Kershaw spent some time alone on the field, according to FanSided's insider Robert Murray, soaking in the muted bliss of an empty stadium. This proves that he had next to no faith in Lance Lynn extending the series but, more importantly, seems like a signifier that he's at least contemplating walking away.

Kershaw's Dodgers swan song was the saddest variety imaginable, and if he doesn't want to leave the game on that note, it'd be understandable. But the game just might leave him first. Second and third medical opinions undoubtedly await, and based on the end result of the 2023 season, there's a good chance that whatever's hiding in his shoulder is more nefarious than he and the team are letting on.

For years, it's been "Dodgers or Rangers or Retirement" for Kershaw, but with Texas in the ALCS with a large degree of expensive pitching depth at their disposal, it's hard to see a likely fit there. That leaves the Dodgers or the ol' dusty trail, and while it feels a year or two too soon on the surface, Kershaw's body will dictate the story for him. And, before Game 3, Kershaw's body told him to waltz out to the foul line and take it all in.