The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract, and it reportedly includes 32 percent in deferred money, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Will Smith's deal has $50 million in deferred money, with a $30 million signing bonus that will be paid out over the next two years, according to Ardaya.
With Smith's new deal, he will be with the Dodgers through the 2033 season, when he is 38. He has been one of, if not the best catcher in baseball over the last few years. For luxury tax purposes, which is usually the most relevant number for teams, he will count for $12.241 million, according to Spotrac. For a catcher as good as Smith, that is a good deal.
By signing this deal, Smith's final two years of arbitration were bought out, but he has security through the 2033 season now, and will likely remain a Dodger for his career.
The extension for Smith wraps up an active offseason for the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani was the headliner, and deferred money was utilized in his contract as well to lower the hit on the luxury tax payroll. Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract, and Los Angeles also made notable moves to add Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez, among some other smaller moves as well.
Will Smith's Dodgers career
Smith showed flashes in 2019 and 2020 with the Dodgers in limited playing time. He played in 54 games in 2019, and 37 in the shortened 2020 season. But 2021 is when Will Smith stepped up on the stage in Los Angeles and slapped the ball all over the park, establishing himself as one of the premier catchers in baseball.
In 2021, Smith played in 130 games for the Dodgers, hitting .258 with a .365 on-base percentage and 25 home runs, according to FanGraphs. He put up 4.6 WAR that season, and has since followed it up with 3.9 and 4.4 WAR seasons in 2022 and 2023.
The trio of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman gets a lot of attention for the Dodgers, and rightfully so. All three of those players are capable of winning the MVP award in any given season, and they form the best top three in all of baseball. However, Smith presents a ton of value simply because of the position that he plays.
For the vast majority of teams in MLB, catcher is a defensively-minded position, and many of the best defenders are weak hitters. That is not the case with Smith. He is a good defender and an especially strong hitter for a catcher, and that allows the Dodgers to get offensive production out of a position that most teams do not get.
Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman will get the shine, but do not underrate how important Smith is to the Dodgers' success.
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