Dodgers Rumors: 2 LA Stars Ranked as Best Value Contracts of 2023 Season

Andrew Friedman does like himself a good deal.

Since President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman took over control of the Dodgers, the team has spent money to try and win. But at the same time, Friedman is a big fan of finding talent that nobody saw coming as well.

He likes to make the most out of any contract, and find the value in players where he can. It has made him one of the best in the business and has helped LA stay atop the baseball world.

The mixture between high-priced stars, and value contracts has been key for the Dodgers, and it has seen them win a lot of baseball games. We saw this ring true again this past season, and LA has some very strong value players on the team.

MLB writer Brandon Scott of Bleacher Report put together a list of some of the best value contracts across Major League Baseball, and two members of the Dodgers made the list. The first was catcher Will Smith, who made his first All-Star team this season.

"Smith was already considered one of the top hitting and run-producing catchers in baseball and the Dodgers were rewarded with him maintaining that standard this season as one of just four catchers with a fWAR of 4.0 or more."

Per Brandon Scott of Bleacher Report

On the year, Smith hit .261 with 19 home runs and 76 runs batted in. He started the year off very hot but did slow down throughout the season. However, it came out that he was battling through a broken rub that was affecting his hitting.

He is one of the best catchers in the league, and should only continue to produce for this team. Smith only made $5.25 million this season, so he earns the title of a value contract.

The other Dodger on the list was designated hitter J.D. Martinez. Martinez had a resurgent season with LA, and it should see him receive a nice payday this winter. He became the full-time DH for the Dodgers this season and completely thrived in the role. 

"And $10 million is a reasonable price to pay for 33 home runs and 103 RBI, the most for Martinez since 2019. Inserting him into the lineup meant fewer DH at-bats to go around, but it was well worth it. Martinez led the DH position in RBI."

Per Brandon Scott of Bleacher Report

For the season, Martinez hit .271 with 33 home runs and 103 runs batted in. He gave the Dodgers a major boost in the middle of the lineup and a consistent slugger that they hadn't previously had.

He was already going to be one of the best signings from the offseason due to his production this season, so it's nice that he made this list, too. Both Smith and Martinez helped the Dodgers win a ton of games this season, and the hope is that they can help them finish the job off by winning another World Series this year.