Since getting called up to the Dodgers in April 2018, Max Muncy has been a fixture in the Dodgers infield at three different positions, and has yet to reach free agency. The contract he signed Thursday — his fourth extension — keeps Muncy under contract through 2027 with another club option for 2028.
Muncy has expressed multiple times in recent years of his desire to stay in Los Angeles, and did so again on Saturday at Dodgers camp at Camelback Ranch.
From Jack Harris at The California Post:
“I know
I’m leaving some money on the table,” Muncy said Saturday. “But I want to be here. I want to end my career here. I know who I am as a person, and I wouldn’t be happy trying to chase money somewhere else. I’ve never been comfortable trying to do that. And I wouldn’t be comfortable now.”
Also revealed on Saturday were some further details of Muncy’s latest contract, which added $10 million guaranteed for 2027 to his existing 2026 deal. Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic shared some of Muncy’s contract incentives, as did Robert Murray of FanSided, the latter shown here:
The 2026 incentives were included in the option that was picked up from the previous contract. It includes $15K in performance bonuses with each plate appearance from 401 to 550, with a maximum of $2.25 million.
From the extension: 2027 salary escalator based on 2026 plate appearances. $20K for each plate appearance from 401-500 and $35K for each plate appearance from 501-550, with a maximum of $3.75 million. The 2028 performance bonuses (if the option is exercised) includes $20K for each plate appearance from 401-500 and $35K for each plate appearance from 501-550, with a maximum of $3.75 million.
Let’s run through the history of Muncy’s contracts with the Dodgers, beginning when he was first eligible for salary arbitration after the 2019 season.
February 2020: three years, $26 million, plus club option
Covered all three arbitration seasons (2020-22), after Muncy and the Dodgers exchanged salaries for his first time through arbitration. Muncy was at $4.675 million and the Dodgers were at $4 million, with a midpoint of $4.3375 million. Muncy got a $4.5 million signing bonus and a $1 million salary in 2020, $7.5 million in 2021, and $11.5 million in 2022, with a $13 million club option and a $1.5 million buyout for 2023.
Muncy’s club option had salary escalators based on his placement in MVP voting, and his 10th-place finish in 2021 added $500,000 to his 2023 club option base salary.
August 2022: one year, $13.5 million, plus club option
The base salary for 2023 matched Muncy’s club option salary, with another club option for 2024 at $10 million and no buyout. The 2024 option salary had escalators based on 2023 playing time, and Muncy earned all $4 million with his 579 plate appearances, putting his club option at $14 million
November 2023: two years, $24 million, plus club option
This contract was signed on the first day of the offseason and four days before the club option decision was due. Instead of $14 million for one year, the Dodgers signed him for $12 million per year over two years, plus a 2026 club option. This time around, the Dodgers exercised Muncy’s option on November 6 without an extension. Yet.
February 2026: one year, $10 million, plus club option
Already signed for 2026, Muncy’s extension pays him $7 million for 2027, plus a club option worth $10 million for 2028 with a $3 million buyout.
The Dodgers have paid Muncy $37.5 million over the last three years, what would have been free agent seasons had he hit the open market. That’s a relatively modest sum for someone who has been an integral part of the Dodgers lineup who has been productive even while missing time with injuries the last two seasons.
Muncy in 2024 missed four months with a right oblique strain, and played only 73 games during the regular season. Last year he missed a month with a left knee bone bruise, then another three and a half weeks with an oblique strain, finishing the year with 100 games played and 388 plate appearances.
Muncy can earn up to $2.25 million in bonuses for 2026 and add to his 2027 option base salary based on playing time, but those bonuses don’t start until 401 plate appearances, something he hasn’t reached since 2023. He can max out those bonuses with 550 plate appearances, something he’s done four times in his career — 2019, plus 2021-23.
