Dodgers, Will Smith Have Not Talked About a Contract Extension: Report
Dodgers catcher Will Smith has one additional year of arbitration left before he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported Monday that extension talks between the Dodgers and Smith have not yet begun.
There still have been no talks between the two sides on an extension, Smith told me this week. Would it make sense? Absolutely. Are the Dodgers uniquely positioned to pivot if needed? Yes.
— Fabian Ardaya via The Athletic
Smith, who will turn 29 before the season starts, has been one of baseball’s best and most consistent catchers the past few years. He has placed in the top three among qualified MLB catchers in OPS for the last two years. His defense has also improved markedly in the last couple of seasons compared to when he was a rookie in 2019.
As a top catcher in the league, it would make all the sense in the world to lock up Smith long-term. However, as Ardaya points out, the Dodgers don’t need to at this exact moment.
The Dodgers are a catching factory
The Dodgers’ farm system includes a glut of talent at the catching position. Hunter Feduccia and Diego Cartaya are currently on the 40-man roster.
Feduccia is the de facto third catcher and should begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. At one point, Cartaya was the highest-ranked prospect in the Dodgers’ system, even breaking into the top 15 MLB prospects overall.
Then there’s Dalton Rushing, whom MLB currently has as the Dodgers’ top prospect and No. 75 prospect overall. He’s in the team’s major league spring training camp after finishing last season at advanced Class-A Great Lakes. At 23, he’s ahead of most of his peers from the 2022 amateur draft.
Thayron Liranzo, 20, just finished his first professional season of affiliated minor league baseball in the U.S. He’s a ways from the majors, but cracked his first major Top-100 list this offseason.
With all of this talent, the Dodgers might not feel the pressure to extend Smith and pay him what top catchers make.
Weighing the cost
Smith is owed $8.55 million this year and will almost certainly earn more next year, his third season of arbitration eligibility. Top catchers in the league earn north of $15 million annually after reaching free agency.
The Atlanta Braves — well-known for their team-friendly contracts — bought out Sean Murphy’s last two years of arbitration with a six-year, $73 million contract.
The Dodgers could let Smith walk and turn to one of their young catchers as a much cheaper option. Since the demands of the position take a greater toll on catchers’ bodies than any other position, it’s far from guaranteed that Smith will be as healthy and productive two years from now as he has been thus far in his career.
However, the Dodgers would be fortunate if one of their young catching prospects acclimates to the league as quickly as Smith did. The Dodgers can watch, evaluate their in-house talent, and then decide if it’s better to hold on to their major league All-Star rather than wait on a future All-Star to develop.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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