Andrew Friedman has spent a decade running the Dodgers’ baseball operations group. In that time, they’ve methodically built an efficient, optimized baseball machine—effectively taking the Moneyball approach introduced by Billy Beane’s A’s and innovated by teams like the Rays, then extending to it every possible benefit. The Dodgers compete in MLB’s second-biggest market, play on a 25-year, $7 billion local TV deal, and draw the league’s highest attendance every year—welcoming nearly 4 million fans this season. They’ve spent plenty but had a reputation for prudence and opportunism.
Fresh off a World Series victory over the Yankees and following an offseason in which they signed players to contracts worth around $1.2 billion, the franchise is pushing in even more of its proverbial chips.
Starting pitcher Blake Snell came to terms on the first nine-figure deal of this offseason just before Thanksgiving, agreeing to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the mound next year, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are on expensive deals, and the team also has a few young, promising pitchers. Clayton Kershaw declined a $10 million player option but is expected back in L.A.
The Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches but have prioritized high-upside players like Glasnow and Snell who can shine in short stints. They added another case study to their approach by signing super-utility player Tommy Edman to a five-year, $74 million deal. Edman is not assured to start the team’s first game at the Tokyo Dome next year, but he has played every position but catcher and first base and was excellent during the playoffs, being named MVP of the NLCS. He was already under contract for next year, but the Dodgers saw an opportunity to lock down a player they liked and used their financial might to do exactly that.
More to Come?
The Snell signing surprised many analysts because the Dodgers are regarded as the favorites to sign Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki when he’s posted early next year. Rumors intensified to the point that Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, felt he had to deny there was an agreement in place.
The Snell contract also included significant deferred money. This is a tool the Dodgers employ more than any other team, with Ohtani the biggest example, as he deferred $680 million of his $700 million contract. That has allowed them to skirt the highest luxury-tax penalties, and their $240 million payroll calculation was the fifth-highest in 2024 even after dropping a historic sum on free agents.
They are also among five teams that have reportedly made an offer to 26-year-old outfielder Juan Soto, who may end up with an even bigger contract than Ohtani. MLB’s defending champions have long held enormous resources; we’re seeing those manifest as they try to double down on their current core.
