The Dodgers have had a “preliminary dialogue” with utility man Tommy Edman regarding a potential extension, per a report from Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It’s unclear how far those initial talks progressed, but there’s no indication that a deal between the two sides is particularly close at this time.
Edman, 29, came to L.A. as part of the three-team swap between the Dodgers, Cardinals, and White Sox that brought Michael Kopech to L.A. and sent Erick Fedde to St. Louis just before the trade deadline this summer. At the time, Edman hadn’t played in the majors at all in 2024 due to setbacks in his rehab from offseason wrist surgery. The switch hitter ultimately made his Dodgers debut on August 19 and made a strong first impression down the stretch. With the Dodgers, the versatile defender split time between center field and shortstop while hitting a respectable .237/.294/.417 (98 wRC+) with six homers and six steals in 153 trips to the plate during the regular season.
His performance reached a new gear during the postseason, however, as he again split time between shortstop and center field as the Dodgers mixed-and-matched between Gavin Lux, Miguel Rojas, and Enrique Hernandez up the middle. Amid those frequent position changes, Edman was able to maintain a high level of offensive production as he hit .328/.354/.508 with two homers, five steals, and five doubles in 16 playoff games. That strong performance was key to the club’s World Series championship and even earned him MVP honors for his work in the NLCS against the Mets. Looking ahead to 2025, Edman seems likely to be penciled into center field for the club’s Opening Day roster although his impressive versatility should allow him to second or third base, shortstop, or an outfield corner should the Dodgers require it.
Edman’s performance in the regular season with L.A. was more or less in line with what he had done throughout his career with the Cardinals. While his rookie season saw him slash an excellent .304/.350/.500 (124 wRC+) in 349 trips to the plate as a part-time player, he settled in as more of an average to slightly below average bat who generates value with his defense, versatility, and baserunning once he became a more regular fixture in the St. Louis lineup. From 2020 to 2023, Edman appeared in 504 of the club’s 546 regular season games and hit .258/.314/.392 (92 wRC+) with 42 home runs and 92 steals. He also connected for 104 doubles (plus 12 triples) during that time while playing quality defense at every position on the diamond except for first base and behind the plate.
Overall, Edman’s profile is not entirely dissimilar to those of Hernandez and Chris Taylor, who have spent eight and nine years respectively in Dodger blue thanks to their valuable versatility. With Edman just one year away from free agency, the Dodgers would likely have to pay something close to free agent prices to retain the switch-hitter beyond next season barring a hometown discount from the southern California native. Taylor received a four-year, $60MM contract in free agency from the Dodgers after hitting the market following an age-30 season that saw him earn All-Star honors, though that deal hasn’t worked out very well for L.A. to this point and the club may not be comfortable committing to Edman at that same level. With Edman already due to make $9.5MM in his final year before free agency next year, perhaps a three-year deal at an AAV similar to that the Dodgers offered Taylor could make some sense for both sides.
this little spark plug was the dodgers postseason MVP. deserves to see an extension
4 years 50 mil
Just because he got hot in the playoffs doesn’t mean they should overpay for below average results during the season.
He’s provided positive WAR production every season of his career. And he’s also provides a ton of position flexibility.
Dude can play any position except pitcher and catcher! Dodgers love that type of versatility, he gets three year extension!
Tommy Edman is just as solid of a person as he is a Baseball player!! The Dodgers are extremely Lucky to get him!!!
John Mozeliak of the Cardinals was an Idiot for letting him go!!!!!
(Just As he has been an idiot in releasing 4 out of the last 5 league championship series mvp’s at the trading deadlines)
@dizz
im not a cards fan, cant speak to mozeliak’s ability as a GM. but he has won 3 Executive of the Year awards…
btw, Adolis , Arozarena, edman, who is the 4th?
Edman and Arozarena were traded. Rights to Adolis were purchased, none of those players were released.
I used to think Yankees fans were the worst. The past few seasons tho while Cards have struggled a bit, I was surprised to say the least. Contending in pro sports is nearly always cyclical. Cards fans have been lucky to see a rather long run of contention. It’s finally come time to rebuild a bit and my god have many Cards fans immediately went to the pitch forks.
You need a history lesson.
Mo is a really dumb GM. The game passed him by in 2017.
What would be a good move at the right price. If they can keep him healthy.
Taylor surely doesn’t have much rope left with the team. Edman gives them a good Swiss Army Knife replacement to plug in around the diamond, provide good base running and hit a few dingers.
“Taylor surely doesn’t have much rope”…Chris Taylor’s not a good baseball player, but he’s a real testament to luck, hard work, timing and opportunity leading to great outcomes for a player.
He got paid and suddenly became a mediocre baseball player. What a kawinkidink….
@boys He’s been rather healthy every season prior to last season. I don’t think injuries will b a constant concern with him. But that’s a risk with every multi yr deal
Taylor hasn’t done squat since 2021, he’s on the hit list, my grandma could hit better!
TerryB , but can she play LF 2b and 3rd lol. I agree. CT is washed
If you can afford to pay big bucks to a utility guy he’s certainly a good one to have. He’s from the area and the Dodgers are known for liking players with versatility so makes plenty of sense to sign him long term.
Never did like that deal, Cardinals trading away Edmans. He made Josh Hader blow saves, two nights in a row a couple of years ago.
Hader does blow in bunches..
Dodgers got edman AND kopech in the deal. All they gave up was a couple. Of minor leaguers in single A. Incredible
Dodgers also gave up Miguel Vargas (and prospects Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus)
Bivouac: Vargas sucks. He hit .104 with the Sox and played terrible defense at 3B. That trade showed just how easy Getz can be had. Wait and see what kind of low-level garbage he gets for Crochet.
Vargas is a professional hitter who will bounce back. Problem is you are right that his defense is weak. White Sox should have been able to get another out of grace prospect or two from Dodgers as part of deal, say like Cartaya. Four lottery tickets is better than two.
Vargas is a bust, Sox got robbed!
Came outa nowhere n was major force right through playoffs w/glove n bat @multple positions. One of Friedman’s greatest moves in the plethora of good Friedman transactions. He was heart n soul of team for good spell. Just showed up n played.
chris taylor for mitch haniger or mitch garver. New team/new opportunity
Take Chris Taylor, we need nothing back.
Thank you!
I don’t want to see Chris in a mariners uni again
I could see Chris Taylor moving for another bad contract. Might have to attach another player or prospect to him, as Chris Taylor’s contract is one of the worst in baseball. I was thinking for Jordan Montgomery or Bellinger’s contracts…
Bellinger isn’t that bad of a contract, and Montgomery is the worst bad contract out there
Javy says hold my beer!
Belli is easily worth 15 million per year on a two year deal. PCA is still working on hitting, Busch had some slumps, and Seoul plays weak defense. Cubs should keep Belli because no one is offering a number two starter or an elite closer for Belli.
Seiya not Seoul
lol, for Bellinger? Bellinger is a nice to have for the Cubs, but by no means a negative asset. Very few that can play 1B, CF, RF, LF at a high-level and bring a good lefty bat with speed. Very valuable, just not needed with PCA and Busch. Taylor is a negative offensive, defensive and base running player at a high cost. To swap him for Bellinger (who only has a buyout left after this season) would cost a top 10 system prospect plus a couple 20-30 prospects.
Edman had South Koreans excited about the post season from what I read. The Dodgers are smart. They want to be Asia’s MLB team.
Edman seems like it there. I see them working something out.
Now they need Nootbar
I hope St. Louis keeps him for a while.
Players often get better when they go to a good situation with better talent and a better run team.
He was hurt when he was traded dipstick. The Cardinals were barely in playoff contention and needed immediate help. The Dodgers were a slam dunk to make the playoffs at that point they could afford to make the trade they made.
Better run team get the f out of here with that garbage. If all teams had a 400 million dollar payroll they would all be better run.
@Blackpink…You need some professional help, bro. And Edman was in St Louis for a few years, not just this “hurt” year.
He was hurt when he was traded you idiot. He didn’t just start eating Dodgers dogs and morph into a new player he was freaking hurt all of 2024 prior to being dealt.
You made a dumb post. Own it.
Stink needs all kinds of help. Stink should be banned.
Yes, he did get better after eating Dodger dogs. Everybody goes harder and longer after eating Dodger dogs. I can go all night after eating Dodger dogs.
Joel are you seriously trying to justify your nastiness due to “dumb comments”??
That’s nearly every single comment of yours. The guy who was arguing with people about left handed infielders…..
Take a chill pill, Blackpink…
Black punk – so many of us are worried about your mental state. It’s a game! Relax.
Darnit Apple. Was that you or me? Meant Black Pink!
Who is us???
You have been muted. Peace
You say peace as tho he’s gone. Now he gone just ridicule yout nonsense and you don’t even see it…. HAHA
Edman was very good in 2022 and the first part of 2023. I’m sure the wrist was a problem in the second half which is why he finally shut down for surgery before the year was over.
He was traded because the Cardinals were getting too many young infielders and center fielders. Edman was the nearest to free agency and had value so he was used to bring in the pitching the Cardinals needed. He was very well liked in St. Louis.
…he was very liked indeed.
Despite black pink’s harsh reaction, you have to admit this was an ignorant statement from mlb fan. Edman was a pretty decent playerin the seasons before the trade.
Yes I could have been nicer about it but that was a dumb comments. The Cardinals are one of the best organizations in all of baseball. The Dodgers have a lot of money they can do things other teams can’t do.
@Jose Yes the initial comment was pretty bad. Most fans would love to have him on their team.
As for Blackpink/Joel it’s amazing someone has become synonymous with ignorance around here regularly gets so cocky. He’s proven time and time again he’s only a fan of baseball news and stats. The guy doesn’t even watch the sport.
The Edman issue, as with the O’Neill issue, was that the Cards didn’t make the common sense move to trade Goldie and Arenado at the 2023 trade deadline. They had 11 ‘okay’ players, with only 9 slots to play them.
Guys like Edman are not utility players like the Cards tried in 2023.
Edman is a utility player. He’s a lesser Ben Zobrist. He will get everyday at bats but he’s not a starter at any 1 position that’s his strength as a player he can fill in different positions.
Goldschmidt and Arenado were MVP candidates in 2022. The Cardinals didn’t want to trade them away less than a year later. Of course with hindsight they would have been better off. The Red Sox could have done all kinds of things differently the last couple years too. Trading Cy Young comes to mind…..
Actually the guy can probably start on 1/2 the teams at 2B.
He could but he’s not an especially good hitter. His value is in his versatility. He gets starter at bats he’s like the 10th man and because someone always gets hurt he ends up playing everyday somewhere at some point.
I advocated trading Goldschmidt and Arenado at the 2023 deadline. Many Cardinal fans thought I was crazy. I thought the writing was already on the wall. They could have gotten some good prospects then. As it is, the team will get nothing for them.
Well thanks Nostradamus for sharing.
Goldschmidt wasn’t worth squat at the 2023 deadline all that would have saved was payroll for 2024. And Arenado had some positive trade value perhaps but not much. It’s not like these were massive assets they weren’t.
I thought the Cardinals should have traded Goldschmidt to the Orioles I said so on this site at the 2023 deadline. But he wasn’t worth much at all. He had a giant contract. He’s a freaking old 1b.
Out of one side of your mouth you say both were MVP level in 2022. Out of the other side you say they were practically worthless a half a season later. Neither of them were worthless at the deadline in 2023. Goldschmidt still had good value and Arenado still had great value. The Dodgers wanted Arenado at the 2023 deadline. Personally, I thought that was the path the Cardinals should have taken to rebuild pitching. They can’t or won’t afford the number of top free agent pitchers they needed.
Goldschmidt had a contract paying him 26 million a year and he was 35 at the time. And the first half he wasn’t any good. How much trade value do you really think he had?
Arenado had some for sure.
The pitching is fine. The system has good young talent it just needs a chance to play. Liberatore was a top prospect and he’s not a bust he just hasn’t had a chance to play. Mcgreevy former first round pick needs a chance. Hopefully the young guys actually get opportunities now instead of the team throwing money away to old vets to block them.
And even as early as the 2023 2024 offseason Arenados value was negative. The only window that it actually made sense to trade him would have been the 2023 deadline and that would require knowing he was going into a sharp decline after that. Which nobody knew.
Just stop with the hindsight nonsense. This isn’t a video game.
Let me play Nostradamus again. The Cardinals will be lucky if 3 of the young pitchers become solid starters. I’m including Pallante in that 3.
Pallante already is a solid starter. He’s just as good as Lynn or Gibson were and he has potential to get better unlike those old men.
Matthews is at least a number 3 and will be ready mid season
McGreevy is a number 4 easy
Liberatore i think can be a number 4 if he actually gets an extended opportunity.
Graceffo meh he might be a nobody.
Robberse can be anywhere from a number 3 to a nobody who knows with him
Hjerpe probably a reliever
Hence could be anything from an ace to a long reliever. It’s all health with him.
Kloffenstein just got let go he had a chance to be a number 4 or 5 guy
Bedell can perhaps be a number 4 or 5 guy
Rajcic again chance for a 4 or 5 guy
That’s a ton of pitching talent. More than most teams have for sure.
All those moves but he was the big key in winning. He fit perfectly there
It was hilarious people thought the Cardinals won that trade at the time. Edman wasn’t even fully healthy last season and already proved his worth.
Kind of reminds me of Dylan Moore with the Mariners, except we don’t know if he’d perform like Edman in the postseason.
Move over Ohtani, you’re yesterday’s news. Redman was the big acquisition in 2024.
As a Padres fan, he was a major part of your Championship. At 10 million a year, he is expensive. Im not sure you can afford to let him walk.
This guy does everything very well and he’s clutch. He’s a must sign.
In addition to his versatility, Edman grades as the best overall baserunner in the game. The Cardinals and the White Sox both lost that trade.
@Eli
I like Edman as much as the next guy but he’s not even in the top 50 baserunners in the game for 2024. baseballprospectus.com/leaderboards/baserunning/
Yes LAD got the best of that 3 way trade.
Edman is a winner. Complete steal by Dodgers last trade deadline. Hope he gets paid
No need to extend a borderline/utility player. Let them test FA. He could be another Chris Taylor level waste of money.
Please let him go….says 29 other GMs….well 28….STL obviously don’t want in.
Chris Taylor has been an asset for the Dodgers, both on and off the field. There are a lot worse ways for a sports franchise to spend money.
Taylor should have been dumped three years ago!
Nah. He’s contributed to a lot of winning. Every contender needs a player like him. He’s the consummate professional and an easy guy to root for.
Dude is a highly overpaid bust, time to take out the trash!
Be honest. You dislike him because he stands up for what’s right in the community.
And unlike an over paid Devers, has no problem changing positions for the good of the team.
I didn’t know that new gears could be reached.
Anyway, Edman is a good guy to have on any roster. Not every value can be found on a stat line.
Hated to see Tommy leave St Louis, but was glad to see he got a ring in LA.
Edman’s a stud. Reason Friedman coveted him for years. Taylor was great before extension and a disaster since. No other way to say it. Only one yer left. Either way his time is most up in Dodger blue. I hope sooner as the increased the likelihood of Kike coming back too. At lest he performs in the postseason. Something Taylor once did. No longer
Buyer beware the Red Sox also signed Pierce after some postseason heroics. Sentimentalist can not play a part in any negotiations.
Edman put up 6.2 WAR his last full year without injury. He’s a valuable player to have on your team.
You should see Andrelton Simmons war in the past. Stop using WAR as the end all be all determining factor of a players “worth”.