The ability to move Edman around gives LA the chance to pursue various impactful hitters
There are a multitude of angles to tackle when assessing the Dodgers‘ offseason plans, and that was before they revealed during the general manager meetings in San Antonio that Mookie Betts is coming back to the infield. Nevertheless, probably the next most important player when it comes to the flexibility he gives this offense is none other than postseason hero Tommy Edman.
The former Cardinal is a rare commodity in that he can play both shortstop and center field pretty well. Edman can cover other positions as well — he won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 — but when you have a guy with the athleticism to cover short and center, he usually stays in one of the two. The primary and probably only reason Edman might see time at third, second or corner outfield is to accommodate other established players who don’t share his flexibility.
Priority number one is likely determining if Teoscar Hernández will be back or not. But putting that aside for a second, a routinely linked bat with the Dodgers is that of Willy Adames.
Edman’s flexibility is pivotal to the possibility of pursuing Adames, if that does in fact happen, considering Max Muncy is locked in at third, a position Adames’ camp has apparently told clubs he’d be willing to move to.
Now, you may say what about Miguel Rojas, whose team option was recently picked up, and will return to LA following a career year at the age of 35. The previous statement hints at how he’s probably looked at. Rojas was brought to the team a few seasons ago to be a depth piece who’ll inevitably get playing time, but not a locked-in for 150+ games kind of hitter. There were positive signs in what Rojas did in 2024, but to expect that to carry on at that level is a little naive at this point.
My own judgement of Rojas’ role with the team is that if they must, they’re ok with him having a regular role, but his presence on the roster gives more of an insurance. Whether it ends up being Adames, or even Edman spending most of his time at short, the veteran leader is a part of that depth group that allows the Dodgers to play a fuller lineup even during the worst injury periods of any given year.
As far as what specifically Adames might bring to the table if the Dodgers were to pursue him, the answer is rather simple, power from a middle infield spot. Something this team has sorely lacked outside of the periods in which Betts covered short or second.
Despite being a right-handed hitter, Adames wouldn’t provide the same boost against lefties that this team got with Teoscar Hernández, in fact, he has pretty aggressive reverse splits (28 of Adames’ 32 homers in 2024 came against righties).
Seldom does a team make a trade with the Rays and live to tell good tales about it, but that’s exactly what Tampa did. Now, Drew Rasmussen has been great for the Rays when healthy, but that has rarely been the case, meanwhile, Adames was a staple of the Brewers‘ offense ever since he arrived in Milwaukee.
Going back to the start of 2021, Adames is tied with Corey Seager for the most home runs (112) by a shortstop, two ahead of Francisco Lindor. Adames clearly isn’t as complete hitter as those two, but his power profile, improving walk rate (10 percent during the period discussed), and a plus glove, all make for a very intriguing profile. Defensively, Adames was in the 96th and 99th percentile in Outs Above Average in 2022 and 2023, taking a step back in 2024 (68th percentile), but still pretty good.
At the end of the day, this is likely to be a crime of opportunity for the Dodgers, and they won’t break the bank for Adames, but the ability to be able to consider that is a plus in it of itself. Ha-Seong Kim is a free agent as well, and with a very different profile, he could also benefit this team, not to mention hurting a division rival. Who knows, Toronto has already said they won’t sell low on Bo Bichette in the winter, but there is a path in which he regains value and becomes the deadline’s hottest commodity.
The possibilities are plentiful, thanks to Edman being able to play anywhere up the middle.