Tommy Edman: ‘Bittersweet’ Not Being Able To Play For Cardinals Before 2024 Trade To Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend represented Tommy Edman’s first time at Busch Stadium since last summer’s three-team trade with the Chicago White Sox.

The Dodgers acquired Edman and Michael Kopech in the deal, and both went on to play prominent roles throughout the World Series run.

For Edman, he was still on the injured list at the time while recovering from offseason wrist surgery and a separate right ankle sprain sustained during his rehab assignment.

The 30-year-old is disappointed that he never got to return to the field for the Cardinals in 2024 but has enjoyed his time with the Dodgers, via SportsNet LA:

“I definitely didn’t enjoy being on the injured list the whole first half last year. Didn’t get a chance to compete with these guys, with guys that I played several years with. So it definitely was not ideal the way that my time ended here. But obviously it ended up being a great situation when I got to L.A. last year and we ended up winning. So from that standpoint, it was kind of bittersweet like you’re talking about.”

Edman was selected by the Cardinals in the sixth round (196th pick overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft and had spent his entire career with the organization before being traded to the Dodgers.

Edman hit .265/.319/.408 with 121 doubles, 53 home runs and 222 RBI while appearing in 596 games for the Cardinals over five seasons.

He made his 2024 debut in August and gave the Dodgers another Gold Glove-caliber defender to go along with his switch-hitting bat. Among other contributions, Edman went on to earn National League Championship Series MVP honors.

Tommy Edman embraced return to Busch Stadium

Prior to the series opener against his former team, Edman reflected fondly on his Cardinals career and said that getting an opportunity to play at Busch Stadium finally gave him an opportunity for closure.