At some point in his career, which is nearing its end, Clayton Kershaw was one of the most dominant pitchers in all of MLB. His story as an active player is approaching its conclusion, and now it has been revealed that there was a chance he might not have achieved his success with the California team, but instead with the New York Yankees.
Brian Cashman reveals the best-kept decret
The Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman, is one of the longest-serving GMs in MLB, having held the role since 1998. Over the years, thousands of players have passed through his office as he tried to bring talent to the league’s most successful franchise, and among those names was Kershaw.
Cashman revealed his interest in Kershaw on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
“I remember Ned Colletti, he was GM of the Dodgers when Clayton was in the minor leagues,” Cashman said. “I threw some ideas his way to try to pilfer him, and of course Ned was smart enough to say no to it, but they were legitimate efforts on my part.”
Kershaw didn’t spend much time in the minors after being selected in the first round (seventh overall) in the 2006 MLB Draft by the Dodgers. He made a direct jump from Double-A to the Dodgers two years later.
“Early on, he struggled,”Cashman recalled. “That’s where you get the vulnerability, especially in these big markets, where you need immediate dividends or the fan base gets a little bit pressure point about trying to win. You want to cough up something good. I’d love to hear how many offers came people’s way trying to take (Kershaw), but the Dodgers were smart enough to say no, no, no, he’s ours for life.”
Ultimately, the Dodgers held onto Clayton Kershaw, and the rest is history.
Read the full article here
