Dodgers agree to a 5-year, $74 million extension with Tommy Edman

Super utility man Tommy Edman and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to 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.

Acquired from the Dodgers at the trade deadline this year, Edman, 29, stood out for his versatility. As a center fielder and shortstop, switch-hitting Edman thrived during the NLCS, driving in 11 runs and then posting 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. According to sources, about a third of the total value of the deal will be deferred.

Edman’s contract extension follows Los Angeles’ five-year, $182 million deal with left-hander Blake Snell. After their championship, the Dodgers had targeted a front-of-the-rotation starter and hoped to extend Edman.

This required new money beyond the deal the Dodgers had previously given to super-utility man Chris Taylor, also a center fielder and shortstop. In addition to positional value, Edman’s power-speed combination appealed to the Dodgers, who acquired him from St. Louis in a three-way trade in which they gave up infielders Miguel Vargas, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez.

Edman, who was sidelined before his debut for the Dodgers in August while recovering from right wrist surgery and an ankle problem, 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 on holes Nos. 8 and 9, Edman twice struggled in cleanup — against left-handed starters in Games 4 and 6 of the NLCS — 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 the course of his career, Edman’s OPS as a right-handed hitter is nearly 140 points higher than his OPS as a left-handed hitter.

With Mookie Betts set to move from the outfield to the infield in 2025, the Dodgers could opt to use Edman regularly in center field. If they decide to place Betts at second base, Edman could also play shortstop.