Any time a legendary player retires from their sport, sports media executives flock like vultures trying to hire them. Clayton Kershaw is no exception.
The beloved Los Angeles Dodgers lefty went out on top this fall, hanging up his blue and white uni following back-to-back World Series championships and a hallowed 18-year career.
But anyone hoping Kershaw might quickly trade in his glove for a microphone will have to wait. According to Michael McCarthy and Ryan Glasspiegel at Front Office Sports, Kershaw is expected to “step away from the game” for a while before making his next move.
The report cited several sources who likened Kershaw’s approach to that of Derek Jeter. It took Jeter nearly a decade from his last game at Yankee Stadium until he joined the Fox Sports pregame show. Along the way, Jeter weaved in and out of entrepreneurship and charity work, including an infamous stint as co-owner and lead executive of the Miami Marlins.
The future may hold any number of things for Kershaw, but baseball media isn’t expected to be in the offing.
However, FOS reported fellow 2025 retiree Anthony Rizzo could be in line for more work after a guest stint at TBS this fall. After high-profile runs in Chicago and New York, Rizzo is recognizable. The slugger could pull from his successful career to bring some more youth to MLB broadcasting as the early-21st century generation of players enters the fray.
Several other high-profile recent or looming retirees could garner interest from network execs as well, including Justin Verlander, Lance Lynn, Joey Votto, and Adam Jones.
NBC and Netflix will join on as MLB broadcast partners in 2026, while baseball’s full broadcast package expires later this decade.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.