No one should be surprised.
Another postseason without the Cardinals playing in it has been impressively impacted by yet another player who recently played for the Cardinals.
Randy Arozarena (2020 American League Championship Series MVP) and Adolis Garcia (2023 ALCS MVP) have new company in 2024 National League Championship Series MVP Tommy Edman, who just helped the Dodgers secure a World Series date with the Yankees by hitting .407 with a .393 on-base percentage and a .630 slugging percentage in the series.
Edman becoming a critical piece for the powerhouse Dodgers was the easiest of these to see coming, at least for those who didn鈥檛 turn the frustrating wrist injury that zapped his final season with the Cardinals into something it wasn鈥檛 鈥 a legitimate reason to underestimate his ability.
During his time with the Cardinals, Edman proved to be many things, and all of them were impressive.
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He was a relentless preparer and worker, one who drew praise from Mr. Fundamentals himself, Paul Goldschmidt.
He wasn鈥檛 just willing to hit or play anywhere his team asked 鈥 he was capable of excelling while doing it. Some guys say they don鈥檛 mind where they play or hit, but they don鈥檛 mean it. Some mean it, but they don鈥檛 perform when switched. Edman meant it and performed in all kinds of scenarios, whether it was leading off, stepping in for Gold Glove-caliber second baseman Kolten Wong without a hiccup, shifting gears seamlessly to shortstop despite overbaked 鈥渃oncerns鈥 about his arm or, finally, heading out to center field, where he looked instantly elite.
So no, it should not have shocked anyone when Edman, during this series, went from batting eighth and even ninth in Dodgers manager Dave Roberts鈥 lineup to hitting cleanup. That鈥檚 where he was slotted in Sunday night鈥檚 series clincher, when he gave the Dodgers their first lead with a first-inning double, then extended the advantage with a third-inning homer, the first of his postseason career.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really think too much about the spot in the lineup I was hitting, more just situational,鈥 Edman told reporters after clinching series MVP honors. 鈥淚f there are guys on base, just try to put something in play and have a chance to drive guys in. I don鈥檛 know if the spot in the lineup necessarily means that much to me. ... I didn鈥檛 really know what my role was when I got traded here. The postseason, moving around a little bit. And I feel like I鈥檝e just done a good job of adjusting to whatever is required of me in any given situation.鈥
Some guys just say it. Edman really means it.
It was no wonder the Dodgers saw the switch-hitting, position-switching Edman as a perfect addition to a heavily funded roster that even asks superstars to buy into versatility and leaning into what the numbers say is best. He didn鈥檛 need a sales pitch on doing what鈥檚 best for the team.
I also have to wonder if the Dodgers hadn鈥檛 kept an eye on Edman for years, dating back to when he drilled them for a 3-for-5 performance (and a stolen base) in the 2021 wild-card game in which his three hits accounted for more than half the Cardinals鈥 total (five).
Put Edman in a big moment, and you like his chances of coming through. The Dodgers saw it firsthand and did not forget. Smart.
I won鈥檛 retroactively rip the Cardinals for trading Edman. It was understandable how they talked themselves into it. They felt it was best to part with Edman for the rotation stability of Erick Fedde at this season鈥檚 trade deadline. The hope for a Tommy Pham jolt fizzled after a loud launch, but Fedde should help moving forward.
Edman鈥檚 frustrating wrist injury 鈥 initial hopes he could be ready for the season鈥檚 start proved entirely unrealistic 鈥 and his rising cost probably had something to do with it, too. He is under contract for $9.5 million in 2025 before reaching a free agency that will aim to capitalize on all the things he does so well.
And the Cardinals have, to their credit, stockpiled multiple versatile infield/outfield types with Edman-like qualities, from Brendan Donovan to Thomas Saggese to new draft pick JJ Wetherholt. Shortstop Masyn Winn has emerged as the hopeful yearslong answer at his position. Hopefully Victor Scott II can do the same in center field.
So on paper, the three-team trade between the Cardinals, Dodgers and White Sox made enough sense, especially considering the holes in the Cardinals rotation moving forward and how the Cardinals had plugged gaps during Edman鈥檚 absence.
Yet even as the trade went down as highly celebrated for the Cardinals, it was easy to see in real time many had forgotten Edman鈥檚 value because of the time he had missed. In a game driven by recency bias, Edman鈥檚 injury created more distortion of what a special player he can be, especially when he鈥檚 asked to glue together a special team.
Now the Dodgers benefit from a finally healthy Edman, with the whole world watching.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a crazy trajectory,鈥 Dodgers manager Roberts told reporters about Edman. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 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鈥檚 just amazing. I never imagined once we acquired him, he鈥檇 be hitting fourth in a postseason game. But I trust him. The guys trust him. He鈥檚 made huge defensive plays for us and had huge hits. Just very fortunate to have a player like Tommy.鈥
Truth is, the Cardinals haven鈥檛 been good enough lately to put Edman in this kind of a spot, and they may not be again for some time. That鈥檚 another problem with the Cardinals becoming postseason dropouts: They have stopped getting crucial feedback about who is and isn鈥檛 best built for the playoffs.
It鈥檚 too zoomed-in to say the Cardinals shouldn鈥檛 have traded Edman. What the Cardinals have to dig deep on is how they got to this place, where trading a player like Edman for a depth rotation piece became a realistic move.
I bet if the Cardinals had been playing deep into recent postseasons, chances are high Edman would have done something that made him untradeable, but the Cardinals don鈥檛 get there these days. By the end of the World Series Edman helped the Dodgers reach, he will likely have more postseason at-bats in blue than red. That should be the real regret here.