The Future is Bright: Dodgers Extend Tommy Edman, Cementing His Status as…
The Dodgers found a gem at the 2024 trade deadline in switch-hitter Tommy Edman, who plays all three defensive positions up the middle well coupled with league-average offense, including incredible numbers against left-handed pitching. He made such a good impression in his first three months with Los Angeles that the team signed him to a five-year, $74 million contract extension on November 30.
Edman originally signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals to avoid his final two years of eligibility for salary arbitration. That contract was set to pay him $9.5 million in 2025, but that was replaced with Edman’s new deal with the Dodgers.
The utility man gets a $17 million signing bonus as part of the near contract, and salaries of $5 million in 2025, then $12.5 million annually from 2026-2029. The Dodgers hold a $13 million club option for 2030 on Edman, with a $3 million buyout.
The contract calls for a total of $25 million in salary to be deferred, $5 million in each season of the deal. Those deferrals will be paid out from 2035-44.
Acquired in a three-team trade on July 29, Edman hit .237/.294/.417 in 37 regular season games, then thrived in the postseason, hitting .328/.354/.508 with 13 RBI in 16 games, splitting time between shortstop and center field. Edman drove in 11 runs during the National League Championship Series against the Mets, earning NLCS MVP.
“I just could not foresee a way that he wouldn’t fit us, looking out,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on December 3.
Edman’s contract will take him through his age-34 season in 2029, with his club option covering his age-35 year.
