Dodgers sign Max Muncy to 2-year, $24 million contract

The Dodgers on Thursday signed third baseman Max Muncy to a two-year contract extension, bypassing the pending decision on what was a $14 million club option for 2024.

Muncy’s new contract guarantees $24 million and runs through 2025, with another club option for 2026 worth $10 million.

Per the Associated Press, Muncy’s contract includes a $5 million signing bonus, then salaries of $7 million in 2024 and $12 million in 2025. His 2026 option has no buyout.

Muncy’s 2024 option was part of a one-year contract extension signed with the Dodgers in August 2022. That deal guaranteed what was previously a $13.5 million option for 2023, and added a club option originally worth $10 million. Muncy added $4 million to his 2024 base salary by hitting various plate appearance thresholds, the highest of which was 550.

Muncy batted 579 times in 2023, tied a career high with 36 home runs, and set a new personal best with 105 RBI in 2023. He hit .212/.333/.475 with 85 walks and a 118 wRC+ in 135 games.

After a sub-.200 batting average in both 2020 and 2022, Muncy this season was hitting .197/.328/.472 as late as August 26. But a strong finish — .261/.351/.487, 126 wRC+ over the last five weeks — brought his batting average above the Mendoza Line.

In April, Muncy won the first National League player of the week award of his career during a stretch in which he tied a Dodgers record with 10 home runs during a 13-game stretch.

Muncy also hit three grand slams — including a walk-off home run against old friend on Craig Kimbrel on May 3 — to tie a franchise mark for one season.

Despite playing only six years with the Dodgers, he’s already 10th in franchise history with 175 home runs, and his four seasons with 35 or more home runs is topped in team history only by Duke Snider.

Since the start of 2018, Muncy’s first season with the Dodgers, his 175 home runs are seventh-most in the majors.

With J.D. Martinez entrenched at designated hitter, Muncy started only 10 times at DH in 2023. That meant a lot of time — 121 starts — at third base, where Muncy was rated below average defensively by just about every notable statistic.

Whether the Dodgers will have DH open for Muncy on a more regular basis will depend on their other offseason moves. But he’s now back in the fold for one more year at $14 million.

Muncy is one of seven Dodgers under contract for 2024, joining Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Chris Taylor, Tony Gonsolin, Miguel Rojas, and Austin Barnes. Their seven salaries total $95.9 million for next season, with a competitive balance tax payroll number of roughly $91.65 million.

The 33-year-old Muncy in parts of eight major league seasons has hit .227/.351/.473 with 180 home runs, 489 RBI, 498 runs scored, and a 124 wRC+.