The Los Angeles Dodgers made the first significant splash of the offseason this week, signing two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract with deferred money. After winning the World Series without much resistance, the Dodgers addressed their one glaring weakness by adding possibly the best individual pitcher in baseball.
Snell joins a rotation that should include Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw in 2025. That is unfair, especially when paired with LA's dominant offense. It's hard not to get gloomy if you're a fan of another team.
Well, the Dodgers continued to dominate the offseason on Friday, extending postseason standout Tommy Edman on a five-year, $74 million contract that includes — you guessed it — deferred money. In addition to Ohtani, Snell, and LA's other heavy-hitters, Edman joins the list of Dodgers to punt salary down the road in order to maintain flexibility in the front office.
BREAKING: Superutilityman Tommy Edman and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a five-year, $74 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. The deal runs from 2025-29 and includes a sixth-year club option. There’s a $17 million signing bonus and deferred money included.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 29, 2024
Edman was named NLCS MVP last month. The 29-year-old utilityman slashed .328/.354/.508 with 33 hits, two home runs, and 16 RBI across 119 ABs in October. He's also a few years removed from winning the Gold Glove award in 2021, a season in which he also led the MLB in ABs and notched 30 stolen bases.
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The next MLB collective bargaining agreement might need to involve a treatise on the Dodgers' current free agent strategy, because it threatens to break baseball. The MLB has long been defined by parity, so nothing is guaranteed, but the Dodgers feel almost too powerful to beat right now. Ohtani's $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money is one thing, but watching the Dodgers pull this same trick over and over again is getting tiresome. It allows LA to stockpile stars when other front offices won't go near a lofty tax bill. That is ultimately the fault of other front offices (or really, ownership groups), but all the same, Los Angeles has taken the deferred money loophole to its logical conclusion.
This is great value in general for Edman, who the St. Louis Cardinals clearly gave up on too quickly. He's a nifty glove all over the infield and outfield, plus we've seen his bat come alive in the playoffs. Edman wasn't the most consistent offensive threat in the regular season, but he generally finds ways to get on base and make his presence felt. The ability to elevate his performance in October is a trait the Dodgers should value as much as any franchise.
Los Angeles is expected to plant Mookie Betts in the infield next season, but there should be reps aplenty for Edman, whether he's punted to the outfield or posted opposite Betts in the middle infield. Edman wasn't able to drag a sorry Cardinals roster out of the MLB doldrums, but as the No. 6 or 7 hitter in a loaded Dodgers lineup, he's perfectly cast.
Credit again and again for LA for spending when other teams would stand pat. Edman should continue to serve as a fan favorite in Dodger Stadium.
