Dodgers’ Max Muncy was OK ‘leaving some money on the table’ to stay in LA

PHOENIX –– The reality dawned on Max Muncy near the end of last season.

Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor were gone. Clayton Kershaw was headed toward offseason retirement. And every other player around him in the Dodgers clubhouse had arrived after he did in 2018.

The title of “longest-tenured Dodger,” Muncy realized, would suddenly belong to him in 2026.

“It was a wild thought,” the 35-year-old third baseman told The California Post on Saturday. “But it’s definitely a blessing. It’s something I’m really grateful for.”

Indeed, ever since he resurrected his MLB career with the club almost a decade ago, Muncy’s goal has been to stay in Los Angeles for the rest of his playing days. 

It’s why he bypassed the arbitration system to sign a three-year, $26 million deal in 2020. Why he twice agreed to club-friendly extensions, rather than test the free agent market, in the three years after that. And why, after the team exercised a club option in his latest contract this winter to bring him back in 2026, he expressed immediate interest to the front office in inking another extension –– ultimately resulting in this week’s $10 million pact through at least 2027.

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“I’m very happy with where I’m at,” Muncy said. “It’s just one of those things where, I wanted to get something done, they wanted to get something done, and we reached an agreement on something we both felt was fair.”

Muncy, of course, could have pursued a potentially more lucrative path moving forward.

Though the two-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion has been limited by injuries the last couple seasons, he remains one of the most productive third basemen in baseball, coming off a 2025 campaign in which he hit .243 (his best mark in four years) with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs in 100 games.

If he posts similar numbers in 2026, he almost certainly would have been able to earn more than the $7 million salary his new Dodgers contract will guarantee for next season.

“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.”

Muncy’s current contract situation includes the opportunity to make more. 

According to a source, he has incentives for up to $2.25 million for this season (he will earn $15,000 for every plate appearance he makes between 401 and 550) on top of his $10 million base salary. His new extension includes salary escalators of up to $3.75 million extra for 2027 based on his number of plate appearances this year ($20,000 each for each between 401-500, and $35,000 for each between 501-550). And if the Dodgers pick up his club option for 2028, which is for $10 million and comes with a $3 million buyout, he will have the same salary escalator structure for 2028, based off his 2027 plate appearances.

Still, Muncy knows his new deal has been seen around the industry as below market value.

For him, however, staying in Los Angeles was the most valuable thing of all.

“At the end of the day, for me and my family, you have to start putting your focus on some things,” Muncy said. “And it was, ‘Would we really be happy trying to chase money, watching these guys winning the World Series?’ No, we wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing, well, I got a little bit of extra money, but now I’m not in the playoffs, or I’m maybe the last team into the playoffs, and then we’re getting beat by the Dodgers. I wouldn’t be happy with that. I’ve built too many relationships here.”

Muncy said family stability was a particularly crucial factor. He and his wife, Kellie, welcomed their third child last month. And while their offseason home remains in Muncy’s native Texas, the family has put down roots in the Southland, too.

“My kids were born in LA. The Dodgers are all they know,” he said. “They know the stadium. They know all the people at the stadium. They love being there. Every time we’re driving on the road and they see a Dodger blue color, they yell out, ‘That’s da-da blue. That’s Dodger blue.’ LA means something to them.”

Then there’s Muncy’s standing within the organization.

With the Dodgers, he feels like he has “real input” with the coaching staff and front office. He relishes his veteran role as one of the more experienced players in the clubhouse.

“That’s one of those things that was important, to know I’m really a part of this organization,” he said. “That’s something that I didn’t want to try to build somewhere else –– or maybe it’s not like that somewhere else.”

Now, Muncy won’t have to find out. If he plays through the 2028 season, he’ll be 38. At that point, he thinks he’ll probably be ready to retire, preferring to finish his career before his play declines to the point he is forced out of the game. 

“More than likely, this deal is gonna be it,” he said. “I’m not looking to chase it forever. I’m looking to go out there and be competitive.”

Right now, that remains the case, making Muncy not only the longest-tenured Dodger but also one of their most important players as they go for a World Series three-peat this year.

“I want to decide really when I’m done,” he said. “And this (new deal) gives me a good opportunity to do that.”