After kickstarting their offseason by signing Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract, the Los Angeles Dodgers have just doled out another big money deal with a signing bonus and deferred money. The haters are already punching air.
On Friday, the Dodgers reportedly agreed to a five-year, $74 million extension with NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Edman was under contract for $9.5 million in 2025 and was set to hit free agency in 2026, but the Dodgers very clearly viewed him as an integral piece, especially with all the moving parts on their roster and Kiké Hernandez and Teoscar Hernandez hitting free agency.
Edman only played 37 games for the defending World Series champs as he recovered from an injury after the deadline, but he was an unmistakable postseason presence while holding down the fort at shortstop. Edman hit .407 in the NLCS and then added a .988 OPS across his five World Series games in October.
His new deal will pay him an average annual salary of $14.8 million, but we'll wait and see what the payroll tax figure looks like since he received a $17 million signing bonus while the Dodgers deferred some of the money.
Dodgers sign Tommy Edman to contract extension after massive Blake Snell deal
Just a few days ago it was reported the two sides had "preliminary" extension talks and it all materialized rather quickly as the Dodgers have lapped the field to start the offseason.
Edman is heading into his age-30 season and fits this Dodgers roster like a glove. His defensive versatility, dangerous pop and speed will lengthen LA's lineup in a way other teams can only dream of.
The Dodgers have once again capitalized on acquiring a distressed asset from another team that was unable to maximize their potential or fit them into their own window of contention. This could set the table for a big trade since LA has a lot of younger/displaced talent as a result of the Snell and Edman deals. And we can suspect more are on the way, but right now the Dodgers appear set to remain a juddgernaut for the next five years.
Edman's extension helps the Dodgers get ahead of next offseason, removing a question mark in free agency as they remain two steps ahead of everyone else.