World Series 2024: Tommy Edman what Dodgers wanted and more

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers had spent three years coveting Tommy Edman, which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. Perhaps no franchise places a greater emphasis on versatility, and perhaps no player encapsulates it better. Edman plays superior defense at two premium positions, hits from both sides of the plate, possesses the ability to move runners over and drive them in. When the Dodgers finally landed Edman over the summer, they were hazy on a role but envisioned someone who would help them in a multitude of ways.

What they didn't foresee was what ultimately transpired -- that Edman would accumulate 11 RBIs in a single postseason round, serve as the cleanup hitter in a pennant-clinching game and become MVP of the National League Championship Series.

"It's a crazy trajectory," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday's 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6. "I can't say enough about the front office being able to acquire him at the deadline. What he can do for us on the field, in the clubhouse -- it's just amazing."

Edman's season didn't begin until Aug. 19, 21 days after the Dodgers acquired him in a three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox that also landed them hard-throwing reliever Michael Kopech.

His right wrist was slow to heal from offseason surgery, pushing his return back by a couple of months. He was finally ready to venture out on a rehab assignment by late June, but then he sprained an ankle during a workout. When the Dodgers engaged St. Louis on Edman in late July, they evaluated his 2024 season on the basis of one medical report and the small handful of scouts who descended upon Springfield, Missouri, to watch him play in four rehab games.

It was enough to finalize a trade. Their vision for him crystallized three months later.

"You see how he fits all over the diamond, the compliment to our team with the speed, you can tell the baseball instincts," Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. "And clearly, the moment does not bother him."

Edman, 29, batted .407 in the NLCS, becoming the third player ever with 11-plus hits and 11-plus RBIs in a single postseason series, alongside Bobby Richardson in the 1960 World Series and David Ortiz in the 2004 American League Championship Series. When Miguel Rojas' adductor tear prevented him from cracking the NLCS roster, Edman moved from center field to shortstop, creating a pathway for Enrique Hernández, notoriously good in October, to continue getting at-bats. And when Freddie Freeman's sprained right ankle prevented him from starting Game 6, Edman provided all the early production the Dodgers needed, poking a two-run double down the left-field line in the bottom of the first and launching a two-run homer to left-center field in the bottom of the third.

The only other Dodger to amass 11 RBIs in a single postseason series is Corey Seager in 2020.

"It's pretty crazy, especially with the history of the organization, to have tied that record," Edman said. "A huge part of that is a testament to the guys on the team. We had really good at-bats throughout the series. Our whole lineup was really good. Any number of guys could have won MVP."

One of those candidates disagreed.

"Tommy, I think, clearly is the MVP," Shohei Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said after an NLCS that saw him reach base safely 17 times. "He does things, not just this postseason but during the regular season, contributing in places where it doesn't really reflect on the stat line. But I think the common theme for this season has been a lot of people, different guys, have been stepping up."

The Cardinals established themselves as one of the sport's pre-eminent franchises through a player-development system that continually turned lesser-regarded prospects into legitimate major league contributors. Edman, a sixth-round pick out of Stanford in 2016, was among the latest. He became a regular in 2020, won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 and accumulated 5.3 FanGraphs wins above replacement in 2022, during which he provided a .725 OPS, accumulated 48 extra-base hits, stole 32 bases and excelled at three up-the-middle positions -- second base, shortstop and center field.

For as much as the Dodgers asked, the Cardinals were hardly ever open to dealing Edman. A trade never got close. That finally changed midway through 2024, when a glut of position players and a desire for starting pitching made him a trade candidate. An early permutation had the Cardinals sending Edman to the White Sox for right-hander Erick Fedde. Then the Dodgers jumped in. The White Sox, in rebuild mode while navigating through a historically bad season, had no use for Edman, who was only a year and a half away from free agency. Instead, the Dodgers sent them a package of infield prospects headlined by Miguel Vargas. The Cardinals got Fedde and veteran outfielder Tommy Pham. The Dodgers received Edman and Kopech, who solidified the ninth inning down the stretch and opened Game 6 of the NLCS.

Said Gomes: "I don't know where we'd be without those guys.

Edman, though, was an investment. It wasn't until the third week of August that he was healthy enough to play in major league games. And it wasn't until the second week of September, during a home series in which Edman homered four times against the Chicago Cubs, that his swing actually felt right for the first time. Edman's numbers slid thereafter, his slash line sitting at just .153/.261/.305 over his past 69 regular-season plate appearances -- but then he started to put his imprint all over October.

He did it by moving runners over with bunts and getting them in with homers. By mashing against lefties but also holding his own against righties. By locking down center field but also taking on shortstop.

Now, heading into a highly anticipated World Series matchup against the New York Yankees, he might be peaking at the right time.

"For me, relative to everybody else, I'm pretty much in June right now," Edman said. "I've played like three months of baseball. Everybody else has played like seven months. I don't want to say it's an advantage, but I think having that time off, I feel a little bit more fresh."