The Los Angeles Dodgers had a historic offseason that saw them spend nearly $1.2 billion to bring in the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, among others.
On the eve of the Dodger Stadium home opener, the Dodgers made another significant investment by signing Will Smith to a 10-year, $140 million contract extension that will keep him in the organization through the 2033 season.
The Dodgers have now locked in a core of Smith, Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman for the foreseeable future as they look to win their first World Series since the shortened 2020 season.
“I don’t love that part, but I love being a Dodger,” Smith said of the attention that came with signing a lucrative deal. “I’ve loved being here since I got drafted in 2016 and I don’t think I’m the player I would be without being here.
“For me to probably finish my career a Dodger, means a lot. I couldn’t be happier or more excited moving forward. Looking forward, to me, there’s no better organization that’s more committed to winning a World Series. That’s the most important thing to me when it comes to baseball.”
Since Guggenheim Baseball Management took ownership in 2012, the Dodgers have made 11 consecutive trips to the postseason while winning 10 National League West titles, three pennants and one World Series title.
The organization has one of the highest payrolls each season, which shows their commitment to putting a competitive product on the field and delivering multiple championships to the city of L.A.
Will Smith off to great start
Smith, who earned his first All-Star selection last season, has gotten off to an excellent start this year, batting .412/.436/.549 with an MLB-best 21 hits in 51 at-bats as of Thursday, April 11.
Since making his MLB debut on May 28, 2019, Smith is among the Major League catcher leaders in OPS (first), homers (second), hits (fourth), runs (second), extra-base hits (third), total bases (third) and RBI (second).
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