Dodgers extend Muncy

*Photo from The Runner Sports*

   The Los Angeles Dodgers and IF Max Muncy agreed to a 3 year, $26 million extension to avoid arbitration, according to the team. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that there is a $13 million option for the 2023 season with a $1.5 million buyout. There is also a $4.5 million signing bonus in Muncy's deal. This deal buys out all of Muncy's arbitration seasons, which started this year. It's crazy to believe that Muncy was an afterthought when he signed with the Dodgers, and now he's a key piece of their corps.

   Muncy was signed by the Dodgers in 2017 after two seasons of struggle with the Oakland Athletics that led to a release from the team. It wasn't big news to anyone when Muncy was signed, and he spent the 2017 season with the Triple A Oklahoma City Dodgers. Then, when he was with Oklahoma City, he started tearing up the Pacific Coast League(PCL). When he was left off the Dodgers opening day roster in 2018, he continued to destroy PCL pitching, and earned a callup not too long into the season. He's demolished major league pitching ever since, and he won game 3 of the 2018 World Series for the Dodgers with his walkoff homer in the 18th inning. That game was the only game of that series the Dodgers won. 

   Muncy had a fantastic 2019 season, hitting .251 with 35 homers and 98 RBI in 141 games played for the Dodgers, who won 106 games in the regular season. Across his entire major league career, Muncy is a .244 hitter with 75 homers and 194 RBI in 374 games played between Oakland and the Dodgers. 70 of his homers and 177 of his RBI came in a Dodgers uniform. He appeared in his first all star game in 2019, in Cleveland, OH. Muncy also has a good postseason track record too, hitting 6 homers in 21 postseason games while posting an .857 OPS in 2018 and 2019 combined. Muncy is also defensively versatile, playing first, second, and third base in his Dodgers tenure. 

   The Dodgers have had a busy offseason in the last few days. They had only signed Alex Wood and Blake Treinen before this week, but since the week has begun, they've traded for superstar Mookie Betts and LHP David Price from the Boston Red Sox, and traded for IF Luis Rengifo from the Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers have traded away RHP Kenta Maeda to the Twins, and OF Joc Pederson, OF Andy Pages, and RHP Ross Stripling to the Angels.