Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman agrees to 5-year, $74 million extension
Tommy Edman had a great first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team is making sure it gets a few more.
The super-utility man has agreed to a five-year, $74 million contract extension with a sixth-year club option, the Dodgers announced Friday. Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal includes a $17 million signing bonus and deferred money.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed on a contract extension with IF/OF Tommy Edman for five years for $74M 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 that of the Dodgers' other significant deal of the offseason (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 up-front 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 wound up vital for 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 positional flexibility and highlight plays on 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, as he played at the first two positions during the Dodgers' World Series run. The Dodgers prioritize positional flexibility, and Edman gives them that at three premium defensive spots.
He also gives them a strong bat — with a catch. Edman is a switch-hitter who clearly has a better side, hitting .181/.256/.267 against right-handed pitchers and .412/.417/.882 against left-handed pitchers. He can also catch fire at times, such as 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. Center field isn't a strength, either, with a platoon of Andy Pages and James Outman looming for 2025. Edman figures to see plenty of time at both places next season.
Locking down that kind of piece for the next five years is significant for the Dodgers, who entered the offseason with a lengthy to-do list, despite holding the Commissioner's Trophy. Extending Edman was one key item, as was adding a starting pitcher such as Snell.
Still remaining are another starting pitcher (the Dodgers truly cannot have enough), a corner outfielder (think Juan Soto or Teoscar Hernández) and perhaps a bullpen arm or two (Blake Treinen is a free agent). That's all to say that the team that has already spent $256 million this offseason is nowhere close to finished.
