Clayton Kershaw could waste no time transitioning from his legendary playing career with the Los Angeles Dodgers to a new role as a television analyst.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Kershaw is a “top target” to be part of the studio team for NBC’s MLB coverage, which will start next year. The three-time National League Cy Young winner would appear for “select events,” Marchand added.
Marchand also confirmed a separate report that Fox’s Jason Benetti is the frontrunner to be NBC’s lead baseball play-by-play voice.
NBC will air weekly national games on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings and tentpole events on Opening Day and Labor Day on a three-year contract carved out of the old ESPN deal, which the network and MLB mutually opted out of last year. NBC will also broadcast the entirety of the Wild Card round of the playoffs, just as ESPN did.
That leaves several prominent dates on the MLB calendar which Kershaw could join for. And we have seen that NBC is not afraid to get a flashy name in a a minimal role, after the network hired Michael Jordan for a handful of taped sitdown interviews for its NBA coverage.
Previously, a report from Front Office Sports suggested Kershaw would “step away from the game” for a time before exploring media opportunities. But after pitching his final game in the World Series last fall en route to his third championship, Kershaw is already back in the rumor mill as a candidate to join one of two new broadcast partners entering the fray with MLB in 2026.
Hiring Kershaw, one of the most recognizable names in the sport, would be a major boon for NBC as it returns to baseball coverage for the first time since 2000.