LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract Wednesday, March 27, with catcher Will Smith, raising the team’s spending to nearly $1.4 billion for five key players since December.
Smith’s deal supersedes a one-year, $8.85 million agreement reached in January.
He opened the season last week by going 5 for 10 with two RBIs as the Dodgers split a two-game series against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea. The Dodgers play their home opener at 1:10 p.m. Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Smith, 28, was a first-time all-star last year, when he hit .261 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs.
The team’s projected cleanup hitter behind newly installed shortstop Mookie Betts, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, and first baseman Freddie Freeman, Smith has a .263 average with 91 homers and 308 RBIs in six seasons with the Dodgers. He would have been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
Los Angeles has committed $1,365,687,500 to Ohtani ($700 million for 10 years), right-handed pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million for 12 years) and Tyler Glasnow ($136,562,500 for five years), outfielder Teoscar Hernández ($23.5 million for one year) and Smith.
