LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers' longest-tenured player is locked up for at least an additional year.
Third baseman Max Muncy signed a one-year extension worth a guaranteed $10 million with L.A. on Thursday morning. He will earn $7 million in 2027, and he has a club option worth $10 million for '28. It's a relatively team-friendly deal for the 35-year-old Muncy, who has won three World Series with the Dodgers and is looking to add another ring to his finger in this year's three-peat bid.
When the Dodgers picked up Muncy on a Minor League deal in 2017, he had been designated for assignment by the A's, who had taken him in the fifth round of the MLB Draft five years prior. He turned out to be a diamond in the rough, establishing himself as a slugging threat after making it back to the Major League level with L.A. in '18.
Fast forward to the present day, and Muncy is a two-time All-Star, ranking seventh on the all-time Dodgers leaderboard with 209 home runs, a figure which does not include his franchise-record 16 round-trippers in the postseason. But he has become far more than just a slugger in recent years, proving to be one of the key cogs that sets things in motion in L.A.'s lineup.
In 2025, Muncy was forced to miss around two months due to a bone bruise in his left knee, followed by a strained right oblique. The Dodgers' offense became inconsistent in his absence. They went 60-40 in the 100 games he played, as opposed to 33-29 without him.
Injuries have limited Muncy to just 173 games in the past two seasons, but when he was on the field, he hit a combined .238 with an .849 OPS from 2024-25. Last year, his 137 wRC+ trailed only three other Dodgers hitters: Freddie Freeman (139), Will Smith (153) and Shohei Ohtani (172).
As the Dodgers look to keep their competitive window open beyond the upcoming three-peat bid, they are striking a fine balance between keeping their championship core together while also creating opportunities for their younger talent. With Muncy in the fold for at least another year, he can help ease the transition to the big leagues for Alex Freeland, who got a brief taste of the big leagues in 2025 and would seem to be the best in-house option to take over the hot corner after Muncy's time with the Dodgers is over.
Muncy's extension is guaranteed to run through his age-36 season, so this new agreement could make it more likely that he finishes his Major League playing career as a Dodger. From his unheralded arrival in the organization to the impact he has made nine years later, Muncy has turned himself into one of the defining players of this winning era of Dodgers baseball.