The Dodgers and the super-utility man Tommy Edman agreed to a five-year, $74MM extension that runs from 2025 to 2029 and contains a club option for the 2030 season, the team announced. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first on the deal. For Passan, the 2030 option is worth $13MM and comes with a $3MM buyout. The deal includes a $17MM signing bonus, and about a third of the money is deferred. The $25MM will be deferred and paid over ten years, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (X link). Edman already had a contract through 2025 worth $9.5MM, so this deal adds four years and $64.5MM in new money.
The club were reportedly in “preliminary” talks about an extension with Edman’s camp last week, and those talks have come to fruition. Edman, 29, was acquired by the Dodgers from the Cardinals alongside the White Sox right-hander. Michael Kopech in three teams, the trade of eight players also sent Tommy Pham again Erick Fedde to the Cardinals and Miguel Vargas to the White Sox just before this summer’s trade deadline. At the time of the deal, Edman had yet to appear in a major league game due to setbacks related to wrist surgery he underwent during the 2023 season. Although he didn’t finally make his Dodger debut until August 19th, the switch hitter made an immediate impact with the club as he easily transitioned between center field and shortstop as needed from the start to the postseason, while hitting respectable. 237/.294/.417 (98 wRC+) in the regular season and a career-best .328/.354/.508 during the playoffs that earned him the NLCS MVP award.
Apparently, 53 games between regular season play and the postseason was all the Dodgers needed to decide that Edman was the player they wanted to have on the team long term. The man was due $9.5MM entering his final year before free agency, meaning the deal guarantees Edman $64.5MM over four years in new money, although the club option still gives the Dodgers five years of control over Edman, who will play the season of 2030 at the age of 35. Going back to guaranteed years, this contract raises Edman’s average annual deal value from $9.5MM to $9.5MM. $14.8MM for the 2025 season, though it’s unclear what the final AAV figure for the extension will come to once the reported deferrals are accounted for.
By keeping Edman in the bullpen for an extended period of time, the Dodgers will retain a versatile player who can play all over the diamond and switch between the infield and outfield with minimal issues based on the club’s needs. That is the type of player the club has been coveting in recent years, evidenced by their commitment to veteran services. Chris Taylor and regular deals with a helpful person Enrique Hernandez. While Hernandez is currently a free agent and Taylor does not appear to be a regular on the team’s 2025 roster, Edman is joined by. Mookie Betts as a player that gives the Dodgers a lot of flexibility in their lineup. A six-time Gold Glove winner in right field, Betts in recent seasons has started playing an increasing amount of second base and shortstop, and the club appears to be planning to play him in the dirt again in 2025.
In betting, Gavin Luxagain Miguel Rojas ready to handle the Dodgers’ middle infield next year, which could leave Edman to guard the Dodgers’ outfield every year. It’s a position he’ll hold until 2023, but he’s been undeniably effective since moving there: he posted a +1 Outs Above Average at the position in 188 innings with the Dodgers this year after reaching a career-best +5 mark in 330 innings in center. of the Cardinals in 2023. If he can maintain that level of defensive prowess in the field over a full season, Edman’s league-average bat should make him above average for the Dodgers in 2025.
It’s been a busy season for the Dodgers, as today’s Edman extension pair coincided with their five-year deal with the lefty. Blake Snell earlier this week. With room to improve in the corner outfield, holes to fill in the bullpen, and a long-time franchise face Clayton Kershaw so far unsigned, there are figures to be more on baseball president Andrew Friedman’s to-do list this winter. Having Edman’s ability to defend and lock down the middle of the pitch for the foreseeable future would make the club even more comfortable in pursuing attacking improvements in the outside corners. They are already being paired with corner bats without as much defense as this Teoscar Hernandez and even Juan Sotoboth of whom are rumored targets in LA this winter and would certainly enjoy being courted by a center fielder of Edman’s caliber.
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