The Los Angeles Dodgers have deep pockets, they usually acquired even deeper Wednesday.
Catcher Will Smith agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract extension that retains him in Los Angeles by way of the 2033 season.
“We’re extremely excited to formally announce a long-term contact extension with Will Smith,” Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman mentioned Wednesday. “It was one thing that was on the high of our to-do listing to strive to determine learn how to preserve Will within the Dodgers household so long as we might see.”
The 28-year-old backstop was named to his first All-Star Sport in 2023 and completed his greatest season within the massive leagues with a .261 batting common, 19 homers and 17 RBI in 126 video games.
Amongst Maori League catchers, Smith completed fourth in batting common, third in runs scored (80), fifth in dwelling runs (19), fourth in RBI (76) and third in slugging proportion slugging (.458).
The Louisville native was drafted by the Dodgers within the first spherical (32nd total) within the participant's first 12 months of the 2016 draft.
“I really like being a Dodger,” Smith mentioned in a information convention on the stadium on Wednesday. “I've cherished being right here since I acquired drafted in 2016. I don't suppose I'd be the participant I’m with out being right here. To most likely end my Dodger profession means quite a bit.”
He made his MLB debut on Might 28, 2019 and has since collected 91 profession homers with 308 RBI in 486 whole video games. Since his debut, he leads the key leagues in OPS, is second in RBI, runs scored and residential runs. He’s additionally third amongst his performs in extra-base hits (182) and whole bases (807).
As a part of the deal, Smith obtained a $30 million signing bonus, together with $50 million in deferred cash.
“There isn’t any higher group dedicated to profitable a World Sequence than the Dodgers,” Smith mentioned. “That's an important factor to me in the case of baseball. I'm trying ahead to the subsequent 10 years.”
The deal brings the Dodgers' whole dedicated cash this offseason to greater than $1.four billion. These embody offers with two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani ($700 million), Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million), beginning pitcher Tyler Glasnow ($136 million), outfielder Teoscar Hernandez ($23 .5 million ), Smith and extra.