Although Max Muncy has not had an ideal 2022 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers rewarded him with a one-year, $13.5 million contract extension, which also includes a $10 million team option with incentives for 2024.
Muncy’s previous deal included a team option for the 2023 season, but it is now guaranteed he will be with the club for at least one more year. “It means everything to me,” Muncy said of his new contract.
“You know, there’s no place I’d rather be. Hopefully next year won’t be it and there will be more after that. But just the support I’ve had from the front office and the coaches this year, it’s really helped me through everything I’ve gone through.
“So just to be able to come back, and know I’ll have another chance to win kind of means everything to my family and me. And with where I was before coming to L.A., this place has really turned into our family. So it’s nice to be able to play here for at least another year, but hopefully a lot more.”
The 31-year-old has played in 100 games this season and he is hitting .190/.326/.386 with 16 homers, 47 RBI and a 105 wRC+ thanks in part to a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow he suffered at the end of last year. However, in August as he gets closer to being fully healthy, he is batting .328 with seven homers and a 1.185 OPS.
“It’s great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Muncy’s contract extension. “It’s a big day as far as when it happened with Max, his family. And I think, number one, first and foremost speaks to what he’s done for us. And also considering to have talks where he was at a few weeks ago speaks to how we value him going forward.
“So I think it was a great thing for everyone.”
Muncy added that getting his contract in place for next season does provide some feeling relief, but he didn’t believe the issue was weighing on him. His concern was more about getting back to being a productive baseball player, but now that both issues seem to be behind him, he looks forward to fully focusing on helping the Dodgers win in the postseason.
“So just a chance to come back for another year, it was a no-brainer for me,” Muncy said. “You know, like I said, hopefully, there’s more after that, but I try not to look ahead too much.
“I’m trying to look at what we’re doing right now, we have a pretty special thing going right now, and so I’m trying to really focus on that. And this is nice to have it and now that it’s out of the way, I can really just focus on what we’re doing right now.”
When asked if he was going to celebrate the contract extension, Muncy said a team win would be a good celebration. “Like I said, we have a special thing going here, we keep it moving forward.”
Last year, Muncy slashed .249/.368/.527 with 36 homers and 94 RBI, setting career highs in homers, total bases (262) and extra-base hits (64). The two-time All-Star is among only three players in franchise history with three seasons of at least 35 home runs, which was also accomplished by Duke Snider (five years) and Mike Piazza (three).
Dodgers had Max Muncy contract extension in the works
Although Muncy has struggled for most of the year, the Dodgers expressed confidence in his ability to turn his season around, which is why they began to negotiate the new contract before he started to find better results.
“Well, it’s certainly encouraging, but this was already kind of in the works a few weeks ago where he wasn’t swinging well,” Roberts said. “So, it’s the chicken or the egg, what led to kind of his resurgence. But I think it’s a combo. And like I said, I couldn’t be happier for Max.”
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