One of the best pitchers that we have seen in recent MLB history is retiring at the end of the season. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Clayton Kershaw will be calling it quits at the end of the 2025 season, ending an illustrious and decorated career.
Clayton Kershaw Earned Over $314 Million In His Career
As a reward for his Hall of Fame numbers over 18 seasons, Kershaw finishes as one of the top money earners that we have ever seen in the game of baseball.
Clayton Kershaw will retire after 2025 having earned over $314M across 18 MLB seasons with the Dodgers.
This ranks 7th all-time and 4th among pitchers. pic.twitter.com/ecKuLfkcuR
— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 18, 2025
When it comes to pitchers, very few have earned more than Clayton Kershaw. With all of his contracts combined, the 37-year-old will have raked in $314,676,411 in total. That is behind only Justin Verlander ($409M+), Max Scherzer ($345M+) and Zack Greinke ($328M+) as far as pitchers go, and 7th overall amongst all positions. It is likely that Mike Trout will pass Kershaw in 2026 and move him down to 8th place overall.
The money that Kershaw made during his career appears well-earned, as few pitchers can match the consistency he displayed throughout the regular season. On five separate occasions, he ended the year with the best ERA in the league.
Where Does Kershaw Stand Amongst MLB Greats?
His dominance was reflected in awards as well—three NL Cy Young wins, along with two runner-up finishes and another in third place. Perhaps most impressive, though, is his career ERA of 2.54, a mark that actually comes in lower than legends like Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, and even Cy Young himself.
But there will always be the postseason struggles that could keep some from putting Clayton Kershaw on their Mt. Rushmore of pitchers.
Thank you, Clayton Kershaw đź‘Ź
The Dodgers star announced today he will retire at the conclusion of the 2025 season. pic.twitter.com/v0qrjj5OKW
— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2025
When it comes to October workload, very few pitchers have carried the ball as often as Clayton Kershaw—only six in league history have thrown more postseason innings. The comparison, however, is unflattering. Every pitcher ranked above him owns an ERA below 3.82, while Kershaw’s sits at 4.49, the highest of anyone in the top 25 for playoff innings.
His struggles were especially glaring in the Fall Classic: across his first five World Series starts, he was tagged for a 5.69 ERA, which ballooned to 7.36 in his two outings versus Boston during the 2018 series.
