Jeff Passan, ESPN
Super-utility man Tommy Edman and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a five-year, $74 million contract extension that will keep the National League Championship Series MVP with the World Series champions through at least 2029.
The team announced the deal on Friday.
Edman, 29, was acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline this year and distinguished himself with his versatility. Playing center field and shortstop, the switch-hitting Edman thrived during the NLCS, driving in 11 runs, and followed with a .988 OPS and six runs in five World Series games.
The deal tears up the final season of a two-year contract Edman previously signed and replaces it with one that runs from 2025 through the 2029 season. The contract includes a sixth-year club option for $13 million with a $3 million buyout and will give Edman a $17 million signing bonus, sources said. About one-third of the overall value of the deal is deferred, according to sources.
Edman’s extension comes on the heels of Los Angeles’ five-year, $182 million agreement with left-hander Blake Snell. Following their championship, the Dodgers had targeted a front-of-the-rotation starter and hoped to extend Edman.
Doing so took new money that exceeded the deal the Dodgers had previously given to super-utility man Chris Taylor, also a center fielder and shortstop. In addition to the positional value, Edman’s power-speed combination appealed to the Dodgers, who received him from St. Louis in a three-way trade in which they gave up infielders Miguel Vargas, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez.
Edman, who had been sidelined while recovering from right wrist surgery and an ankle issue before debuting for the Dodgers in August, hit .237/.294/.417 with 6 home runs, 20 RBIs and 6 stolen bases in 37 games.
While he spent most of his postseason games hitting in the Nos. 8 and 9 holes, Edman batted cleanup twice — in Games 4 and 6 of the NLCS, against left-handed starters — and drove in seven runs. During the regular season, Edman hit .412/.418/.882 in 36 plate appearances as a right-handed hitter and .181/.256/.267 in 117 left-handed plate appearances. Over his career, Edman’s OPS as a right-handed hitter is nearly 140 points higher than his OPS batting left-handed.
With Mookie Betts set to move from the outfield to the infield in 2025, the Dodgers could opt to start Edman regularly in center field. If they choose to put Betts at second base, Edman also could play shortstop.