LOS ANGELES – The conversation became a right of passage between Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. As the trade deadline approached each summer, Friedman kept Roberts apprised of potential targets. One name kept coming up: Tommy Edman, the super-utility player for the St. Louis Cardinals.

“That started three years ago,” Roberts said after a 10-5 victory over the Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series put the Dodgers back in the World Series. ‘I don’t know if I can even say that publicly, but…’ . .”

The secret was out. In July, the Dodgers finally got their man. In October of this year, he etched his place in franchise history by hoisting the MVP trophy on Sunday night after hitting a two-run double and a two-run homer to build a lead that was big enough in a game where the Dodgers used seven different pitchers. He was acquired to expand the lineup and became a crucial part of the production, cleaning up batting in a few games in the NLCS, including the clincher. He hit .407 in the series and drove in 11 runs along the way.

The awards provided Edman with a storybook moment. He spent most of this season rehabbing injuries. He didn’t make his 2024 debut until August 19.
“It’s something you always dream about,” Edman said. “Not necessarily what I expected.”

Unstoppable.

Tommy Edman is your NLCS MVP! pic.twitter.com/rUy2oaC2Be

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 21, 2024

In October, Edman demonstrated why the Dodgers wanted him. He represented the ideal of an archetype that Friedman favors, the kind of utility player capable of running a solid offense while playing a variety of positions. Edman is a switch hitter who has played six different spots. He can handle center field and shortstop credibly. Friedman grinned when asked how long he had lusted after Edman.

“He’s a very skilled player,” Friedman said. “I like very skilled players.”

The versatility allowed Roberts to cover several holes as injuries dogged the club. When starting shortstop Miguel Rojas went down with a groin injury in the National League Division Series, Roberts moved Edman there from center field, a decision that also brought Kiké Hernández into the lineup. Edman provided stability in the infield as the group changed shape, while Freddie Freeman dealt with a sprained ankle and Gavin Lux nursed tightness in his hip flexor.

He served as a one-man band-aid for a team that needed one. “He is the embodiment of what we needed to bridge this ball club,” Roberts said.

Edman, a 29-year-old from La Jolla, California, spent the previous five seasons with the Cardinals. Last October he underwent surgery on his right wrist. The procedure delayed the start of his season. As he made his way back, he sprained his ankle. He dealt with persistent pain while playing rehab games in July.

On July 28, Edman was the designated hitter for Double-A Springfield. A day later he was a Dodger. Friedman engineered a three-team trade between the Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox. In exchange for a package headlined by former top prospect Miguel Vargas, the Dodgers received Michael Kopech, the hard-throwing reliever who opened Sunday’s game, and Edman. Edman’s impending arrival thrilled the Dodgers, who had admired his ability from afar.

“You’re talking about a guy who’s Gold Glove level at numerous positions, hitting both ways, stealing bases, bunting, getting hits, hits for power,” infielder Max Muncy said. “You’re talking about an absolute gamer. When we got it, everyone here was super excited.”

Kopech was ready to join the Dodgers bullpen. Edman still needed time. He met with the team in San Diego as the training staff planned his onboarding. He accompanied the group to Oakland, where the team hosted a series of simulated games to test his readiness.

“A lot of guys find that pretty annoying to have to go through that,” vice president of player performance Brandon McDaniel said. “He took every rep the way he had to take it and he took every shot the way he had to take it. He was just the ultimate professional all the time.

Edman played six games with Triple-A Oklahoma City before the Dodgers activated him. His skills as a defender were evident from the start. He floated between center field and shortstop with ease. His striking was less reliable. Edman was much more productive against left-handed pitchers. But the Dodgers could live with an anemia against right-handers, especially in a lineup already well-stocked with left-handed sluggers like Muncy, Freeman and Shohei Ohtani.

For most of this postseason, Edman has alternated between the eighth and ninth spots in the lineup. He posted a .471 OPS against San Diego. He made a sacrifice in a Game 1 laughout against the Mets. He wasn’t here, it seemed, for his bat. But he had three hits in Game 2 and was one of the few Dodgers who looked comfortable against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea.

With Freeman ill and left-hander Jose Quintana starting Game 4, Roberts installed Edman as his cleanup hitter. He had only been ranked fourth four times in his career before this postseason. He seemed unfazed by the promotion and played a pair of doubles in another romp. With Manaea back on the mound for Game 6 and Freeman back on the bench, Edman returned to the mop-up role. He spent time before the game using the club’s Trajekt throwing machine, which can simulate any pitcher’s placement, including Manaea’s lowered arm angle.

Edman came to bat with one out and a pair of runners on board in the first inning. He committed an error on four pitches before Manaea tried to spot a backdoor sweep. Edman bent down on one knee as he hit a two-run double to left field. The goal took the pressure off the relief team after Kopech yielded a run in the top of the first inning. Edman’s next hit forced Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to consider using his depleted relievers.

In the third inning, after a leadoff single by outfielder Teoscar Hernández, Edman harassed Manaea again. Manaea fired four changes. Edman spoiled three. His goal was to hit a line drive up the middle. Manaea tried to climb the ladder with a four-seam fastball. The field was probably a ball. Edman swung anyway, sat on top of the ball and sent it into the left field stands.

“It was crazy,” Edman said. “It was one of those swings where I look back and think, ‘Wow. I don’t actually know how I did that.’ Of course it’s cool that that swing is there.

As Edman spoke in the Dodgers clubhouse, he was engulfed in a shower of Budweiser.

“Tommy Tanks!” shouted backup catcher Austin Barnes as he poured the brew on the MVP. “Tommy Tanks!”

Edman has completed his interviews. He took a sip of his own Bud. Then he waded into the puddles of spilled drinks and general tomfoolery in the center of the room. He had earned the right to party. No wonder the Dodgers wanted him for so long.

“Given what happened with Miggy Ro, I can say he is as valuable as any player on our roster,” Roberts said of Edman. “The ability to play center field, the ability to play shortstop and be confident. And to finish fourth overall in an NLCS game. A very good player.”

(Top photo of Tommy Edman celebrating after being awarded the MVP trophy for the NLCS: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)