GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Nearly nine years ago, the Dodgers took a flier on a 26-year-old infielder who had been released by an A's team that had finished in last place the year before.
Those were the inauspicious circumstances under which Max Muncy's time with the Dodgers organization began back in April 2017. He spent that year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, earning a non-roster invite to Spring Training the following year, and got his first callup to L.A. in '18.
Since then, he's become a two-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion. Perhaps most improbably, among active Dodgers, Muncy is now the longest-tenured member of the big league club. After the way things ended with the A's, the organization that drafted him, his experience with the Dodgers has unfolded beyond his wildest dreams.
"Never in a million years," Muncy said earlier in Spring Training. "That was part of the issue with who I was in Oakland, I didn't fully believe in myself. There's no way I would have ever imagined I could have gotten to this point. It's been a special journey for me, and it's one that I'm extremely grateful for."
For years, the title of longest-tenured Dodger was held by Clayton Kershaw, an all-time great who was expected to be great starting from a young age. He came to epitomize leading by example during his 18 years in L.A., and his impact on the team's culture remains even now that he has retired.
Muncy came from humbler origins, with lower expectations. And yet he's viewed with an equivalent respect in the Dodgers' clubhouse. He's one of several veteran players who have carried on Kershaw's understated leadership style, which has resonated with his less-experienced teammates.
"Everyone respects him," outfielder Ryan Ward said. "I mean, he's definitely one of the leaders in this clubhouse, and the respect that everyone gives him, he's earned. And he gives it right back to everyone else."
Muncy has built a legacy in his eight years as a Dodger. He ranks seventh on the franchise leaderboard with 209 home runs. He holds the team's all-time postseason home run record with 16 and counting. He's proven to be one of the key cogs in the Dodgers' lineup, doing little things to help set the offense in motion when he's not the one getting game-changing hits.
His impact has gone beyond what any team would expect from a player signed on a Minor League deal. And there's a decent chance that Muncy won't hit the open market a second time.
When Muncy signed a one-year extension for 2027 worth a guaranteed $10 million, with a club option for '28, some pointed out that he has probably left money on the table in his career. But he doesn't see it that way.
"There was a lot of things involved within it, but money was kind of the last thought," Muncy said. "My family was my biggest thought when making this decision. My kids were born in L.A., all they know is the Dodgers. They love the Dodgers. They love the color Dodger blue. They love going to the stadium, and they know all the people there. …
"I wanted a chance to win. I wanted to keep my family where they're comfortable, and it's the best team in baseball, best organization in baseball. Where else would I rather go? And when you start putting all that together, it's the easiest decision you could possibly make."
During the beginning of Muncy's time in L.A., the Dodgers' rosters were built more around players they had drafted and developed -- or in Muncy's case, identified as a diamond in the rough. Nowadays, the team is an aggressive spender, seemingly in the mix for every notable free agent.
The Dodgers' track record of winning and willingness to spend play a big role in their ability to sign top free agents, but stories like Muncy's go a long way as well. The team has worked to turn itself into a destination, but it means that much more coming from a player who blossomed in L.A. like Muncy has.
"He has, certainly, a different path of getting here," manager Dave Roberts said. "What captures Max is he loves being a Dodger. He's taken less money, did not challenge the free-agent market, because he wanted to be here. And so that's something, for me, you want as many players to be a part of this organization that just want to be here."