The Los Angeles Dodgers locked up a key member of their core for the 2023 season by signing Max Muncy to a one-year, $13.5 million contract extension that includes a $10 million team option with incentives for 2024.
Muncy previously inked a three-year pact in February 2020, which included a $13 million club option (or $1.5 million buyout) for 2023 that is now guaranteed.
According to the Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, Muncy’s team option for the 2024 season can increase by as much as $4 million based on his number of plate appearances next year:
His option price can increase by $4 million based on plate appearances next year: $250,000 each for 50, 250, 300 and 350, $500,000 apiece for 400 and 450, and $1 million each for 500 and 550. He would get a one-time assignment bonus of $1 million if traded.
Since becoming an integral part of the Dodgers lineup in 2017, Muncy has logged at least 481 plate appearances in two of the last four seasons.
Entering play Friday, Muncy is batting .187/.322/.377 with 15 doubles, 16 home runs and 49 RBI over 102 games this season. However, he’s hitting .294/.375/.676 with 17 RBI in August, and is tied for the Majors with seven home runs this month.
Muncy’s struggles earlier this season can be attributed to not being fully recovered from a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that compromised swing mechanics. After experimenting with multiple adjustments, he settled on taking a step backward when a pitch is being thrown, and it’s allowed for a return to normal production.
Muncy: Contract extension with Dodgers ‘means everything’
Muncy is grateful to continue his career with the Dodgers for at least one more season. “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.”
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