Tommy Edman was able to win over Dodgers supporters in less than three months.
He will now perform for the next six months in front of them.
In the Dodgers’ second big offseason move, they locked up their most valuable player from the National League Championship Series and their significant trade deadline acquisition by agreeing to a five-year, $74 million contract extension with Edman on Friday.
Before this season, the Dodgers had long sought Edman, a 29-year-old terrific utility player who won a Gold Glove with the St. Louis Cardinals and was admired from a distance for his defensive versatility and switch-hitting skills.
In a trade that sent Miguel Vargas and two prospects to the Chicago White Sox, the Dodgers acquired Edman, a graduate of Stanford University and La Jolla Country Day School, as they neared this year’s trade deadline with needs at both shortstop and centre field.
Edman batted even though he didn’t start the season until August 19 after missing the first four months due to wrist and ankle issues.237 with an average for the league.711 OPS with 20 RBIs and six home runs in 37 regular-season games.
Then, during the postseason, Edman became a vital member of the Dodgers’ batting lineup.328 in 16 postseason games with 13 RBIs. After hitting.407 with 11 RBIs in the six-game series against the New York Mets, he was named the NLCS MVP.
Edman will help defend the team’s title next year, which would have been his final season under club control, and he will be a part of their lineup for years to come thanks to his new contract, which runs through 2029 and reportedly includes some deferred money and a $13 million club option for 2030.
Edman alternated between shortstop (where Miguel Rojas was also used by the Dodgers) and centre field (where Andy Pages, Kiké Hernández, and Kevin Kiermaier were also used by the team) during the previous season. However, following Rojas’ injury in the NL Division Series, Edman took over as the team’s regular shortstop for the playoffs.
Next season, Edman’s adaptability ought to be key once more.
The Dodgers now have a tonne of infield alternatives but need outfield depth after they selected Rojas’ club option and declared that Betts will most likely return to the infield next season. Edman may need to play a variety of positions once more, but there is still time in free agency for that to alter, particularly if the Dodgers try to re-sign Teoscar Hernández.
Edman’s agreement was signed just days after the Dodgers signed two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Blake Snell on Tuesday for $182 million, their biggest offseason acquisition to date. According to Cot’s Baseball Contract, that move increased the Dodgers’ projected luxury tax payroll for the upcoming season to around $305 million, surpassing MLB’s maximum tax penalty threshold. However, that didn’t stop the Dodgers, who were major spenders, from acting aggressively.
They are already making moves to attempt to win again, only one month after winning the World Series.
