Tommy Edman had a good first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team will ensure that a few more are added.
The super-utility man has agreed to a five-year, $74 million contract extension with a club option for a sixth year, the Dodgers announced Friday. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passanthe deal includes a $17 million signing bonus and deferred cash.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a five-year, $74 million contract extension with IF/OF Tommy Edman through the 2029 season, with a club option for the 2030 season.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) November 29, 2024
Edman was set to hit free agency after 2025. He now joins Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Will Smith as Dodgers players under contract through 2029.
The structure is similar to the Dodgers’ other major offseason deal (so far), as Snell’s five-year, $182 million deal also included a significant signing bonus and deferred money. That setup helps the Dodgers when it comes to CBT calculations, with little cost to the player thanks to the upfront money.
Edman landed with the Dodgers at this year’s trade deadline, joining the club in a three-team trade that also saw reliever Michael Kopech go to Los Angeles. The trade became pivotal to the Dodgers’ playoff run, with Kopech quickly becoming one of the team’s high-leverage bullpen arms and Edman winning NLCS MVP honors while providing both flexibility and highlights at the area of defense.
Tommy Edman was made for the Dodgers
Edman is the rare player who can provide above-average fielding at shortstop, center field and second base, playing the first two during the Dodgers’ World Series run. The Dodgers are a team that prioritizes positional flexibility, and Edman gives them that at three premium defensive positions.
He also gives them a strong bat, with a catch. Edman is a switch-hitter who clearly has upside, hitting .181/.256/.267 against right-handed pitchers and .412/.417/.882 against left-handed pitchers. He can also catch fire at times, like when he hit .407/.393/.630 in the NLCS against the New York Mets.
Shortstop in particular has been a problem position for the Dodgers since Trea Turner left in free agency, so much so that they tried Mookie Betts at the position this year. The midfield isn’t strong either, with a platoon of Andy Pages and James Outman on the horizon for 2025. Edman believes he will have plenty of time for both in 2025.
Locking up those kinds of pieces over the next five years will be important for the Dodgers, who entered the offseason with a long to-do list despite hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy. Extending Edman was one item, as was acquiring a starting pitcher like Snell.
There’s still a starting pitcher left (the Dodgers really can’t have enough of them), a corner outfielder (think Juan Soto or Teoscar Hernández) and maybe a few bullpen arms (Blake Treinen is a free agent). That’s all to say that the team that has already spent $256 million this season is far from done.
