Tommy Edman's extension further proves John Mozeliak's mishandling of NLCS MVP

On Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they agreed to a five-year, $74 million deal with utility man Tommy Edman. The contract includes a $17 million signing bonus and some deferments, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Edman, 29, will be with the Dodgers now from 2025 through 2029. The deal also includes a club option in 2030.

The Dodgers acquired Edman from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that brought back right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Edman. At the time, I was a big fan of the trade; even following Edman's postseason heroics, I held the same stance. At the time, the Cardinals needed another starting pitcher to pair with Sonny Gray at the top of the rotation for a late-season playoff push, and John Mozeliak himself made it clear the team was searching for a right-handed outfielder who could play center field on occasion. Both goals were accomplished in theory.

Instead of making it into the playoffs, the Cardinals faded down the stretch, and the fanbase was instead stuck watching Edman and the Dodgers take home the World Series trophy. Edman was also voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League Championship Series.

If we were to rewind a year ago, the situation surrounding Tommy Edman was much different. He finished the 2023 season on the injured list, and the Cardinals were in desperate need of a backup shortstop and center fielder. John Mozeliak brought on Brandon Crawford to be the team's backup shortstop, and the center field depth chart got ever thinner as both Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar started the year on the injured list.

Michael Siani and Victor Scott II were the team's lone center field options, and Masyn Winn and Brandon Crawford drew starts at shortstop. Edman's recovery from wrist surgery lasted well into the summer, and a need in the starting rotation was apparent at the trade deadline. As a result, John Mozeliak found Erick Fedde, a starting pitcher who was pitching quite well in his first year back in Major League Baseball following a brief stint in Korea. The Dodgers received Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox and Tommy Edman from the Cardinals.

Most pundits called this a win for the Cardinals, as they traded a player who hadn't logged an inning for the team in nearly a year for a starting pitcher who was having a career year up to that point and a veteran outfielder who would fill vital innings for them down the stretch. Just four months later, and we see the error in John Mozeliak's ways.

Fabian Ardaya reported later on Friday that the Dodgers had been interested in acquiring Edman for years, and they were able to reach an extension agreement with the super-utility player. John Mozeliak was surely privy to this information. Brendan Donovan had shown himself capable of filling a similar role that Edman played. Masyn Winn was a rising shortstop as early as 2022. There were contingency plans in place had Mozeliak traded Edman at his peak value following the 2022 season.

To add more insult to injury, heading into the 2024 trade deadline, the Cardinals needed exactly what Edman would provide: a right-handed dominant outfielder who could viably play center field. Sure, starting pitching was a need, but with Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, Andre Pallante, and Miles Mikolas as guarantees in the rotation, a combination of any of the team's young pitchers -- perhaps Michael McGreevy or Gordon Graceffo -- would have sufficed.

Instead, Mozeliak dealt Edman, a fan favorite, to the Dodgers, the eventual World Series champions. Now, Cardinal fans will have to watch one of their favorite players of the last half-decade play for baseball's newest superteam for another half-decade.

I guess all we can hope for now is that Mozeliak extends some players that are currently on the team like Brendan Donovan or Masyn Winn.