The Dodgers announced they’ve signed infielder Max Muncy to a two-year, $24MM extension. The deal also includes a $10MM club option for 2026. The contract overwrites a $14MM option that L.A. had on Muncy’s services for next season.
A client of Hub Sports Management, Muncy will reportedly receive a $5MM signing bonus. He’ll make a $7MM salary next season and $12MM in 2025, while the deal includes additional bonuses based on his plate appearance totals. The contract has a $12MM average annual value.
Muncy, 33, has spent the past six seasons in Los Angeles. Originally an unceremonious addition via minor league contract, he quickly developed into one of the Dodgers’ most important hitters. The lefty-swinging infielder has reached the 35-homer mark in four of the five full schedules. He popped 36 longballs this past season, tying with Jorge Soler for 12th in the majors in that regard.
That power production comes with one of the sport’s more extreme offensive approaches. Muncy is a prototypical three true outcomes hitter. He pairs the home runs with an extremely patient plate approach. The deep counts translate to plenty of walks, as he has drawn a free pass in 15% of his career plate appearances. Yet he’s also prone to strikeouts and runs very low averages on balls in play thanks to a fly-ball heavy swing.
As a result, Muncy has one of the lower batting averages among everyday players. He hit .212/.333/.475 through 579 trips to the plate this past season. That’s on the heels of a .196/.329/.384 showing. Over the last two years, the two-time All-Star sports a .204/.331/.430 line in a little more than 1100 trips to the plate.
That isn’t quite as impressive as Muncy’s production over his first few seasons in Southern California. The overall offensive production is still clearly above-average, however. Muncy’s 118 wRC+ this year indicates he was 18 percentage points better than an average batter. The front office clearly values his contributions, as they’ve now signed him to three separate extensions.
Muncy has a decent amount of experience at first and second base. He spent the entire ’23 campaign at third base, logging a personal-high 1052 innings there. Metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average estimated he was between three and five runs below par at the hot corner. That’s hardly disastrous but aligns with his reputation as a bat-first player.
As he gets into his mid-30s, that profile seems likely to skew increasingly towards offense. Whether Muncy sees another 120+ starts at third base may well be determined by the Dodgers’ subsequent offseason moves. Freddie Freeman is locked in at first base. The club should welcome Gavin Lux back from the ACL tear that cost him all of 2023, likely securing second base. Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch and Chris Taylor are among the possibilities for third base reps, although Muncy is clearly above that group on the depth chart.
The designated hitter role will be one of the stories of the offseason. L.A. will see J.D. Martinez hit free agency in the coming days, although they could make him a qualifying offer. They’re sure to make a run at Shohei Ohtani, a potential addition that would push Muncy back to third base.
Even with this deal in place, the Dodgers have plenty of breathing room financially. Roster Resource projected the 2024 payroll around $127MM before this extension. That’ll sit a little under $140MM now, well below this year’s $223MM Opening Day estimate. The $12MM AAV pushes their luxury tax projection to roughly $155MM. That’s more than $80MM south of next year’s $237MM base threshold.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Dodgers and Muncy were seriously discussing a two-year extension. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first suggested the deal was agreed upon. Murray had the specific salary breakdown.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Again?
Max Muncy to the max maximum, man
We call him Snax Munchy – Looks like Snax is gonna be the DH – He’s a terrible 3rd Baseman.
With a .212 average, he’s not much of a hitter either, except for homeruns.
Welcome to Schwarber world.
He’s still an above average bat when you look at on base average and slugging. He takes a lot of walks. You may not care about that but baseball execs do and value that. So, either you change the way you think or get stuck behind on batting average.
To me, Muncy is pulling the ball too much and putting it in the the air too much, while chasing more than before. If you look at his last great season in 2021, his pull %, fly ball % and chase % were 38.9%, 33.1% and 15.7% compared to 2023’s 51.3%, 38.5% and 23.5%. If he can get closer to 2021 levels he will improve. I thought he was better in between the power zones/straight away but he’s strayed from that. Perhaps that leads to a lower batting average and if he can do that the batting average will also go up. But he still has a lot of value despite the low batting average.
Take those stats to the postseason and see where it gets you… oh wait.
Oh wait. Red Sox don’t even make the playoffs these days. Can’t win it if you don’t make it.
Man, someone is sour. Honestly, I wished we made it but it’s not a huge deal. It was pretty clear we weren’t. But if you want to talk about modern day rings… I won’t go there. 2020 was tainted anyway, if you ask a lot of fans.
Honestly, though, Dodgers should be winning but they make deals like this. Hearing about his defensive woes, where does he really fit on this team?
With Muncy’s history I don’t know why you wouldn’t do this deal. He’s only two years removed from an 0.895 OPS season. And while he may not get there again he can easily OPS 0.850+ in 2024 after a bounce back season in 2023. Anything near 0.850 would be well worth the $12mm. This was a no-brainer signing.
I’ve just seen the Yankees fail many postseasons with all or nothing homerun hitters. The long ball wins you regular season games but against tougher postseason pitchers, I’ve seen them swing for fences and fail and not be able to score runs simply because they’re only homerun hitters. Muncy is much the same.
And I haven’t seen him on defense, but many are claiming he isn’t good, so how is he going to be DH if Martinez is DH?
Dodgers have the resources to get so much better players than Muncy. The Dodgers of today are nowhere near as scary as 2017 or 2018.
The irony in all of this are the Red Sox paying Justin Turner $16mm all-in for one season with the just announced option decline/buyout. So Turner put up a worse season than Muncy and you’re complaining that the Dodgers are overpaying Muncy at $12mm per season? Comical. Friedman keeps looking better and better.
I never said Bloom was a good POBO or that the Sox are better. All I said was the Dodgers could do better and the Yankees have done better than us the last few years and have still failed with the same issue they always have had: being too homer happy. But you’ve completely gone to bashing my team (which I could care less if you do), then actually reading into my argument.
All I mentioned was modern rings… I never said the Sox were better but I do think the Dodgers could be better.
Muncy is not an all or nothing home run hitter. His walk rate is in the 96th percentile. He has gotten into the bad habit of pulling the ball more and putting the ball into the air more. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he made the adjustments next season.
Muncy will play 3B. Yeah, he’s not close to elite with the glove, but he’s well above average at 3B. Everyone keeps mentioning Chapman, who will cost you a lot more and a lot bigger contract than Muncy.
JDM is a free agent and due for a pay bump. He’s unlikely to return. Obviously won’t if Ohtani signs with the Dodgers and I’m not sure even if Ohtani doesn’t sign with the Dodgers.
It’s funny how you comment all about the Dodgers but have such shallow knowledge. You want someone better than Muncy at 3B and you’re going to have to pay a lot more than $12mm per season. And the Dodgers need to acquire at least 2-3 starting pitchers. Those guys are not cheap. Muncy at 3B is far from the issue. The issue is not enough SP.
I guess my point is stick to your team because your knowledge about other teams clearly not as good. At least if you want to have an intelligent debate about something.
You’re right the Sox are not any better doing deals. I said it all along that the Dodgers would be better off with JDM at $10mm than Turner’s contract. Friedman is not the issue. Just thought it was ironic that a Sox fan would rip on Muncy’s contract.
Dodgers can have that.
Bw
“Dodgers can have that”
Yes. That’s how a contract works
Is this to maybe lower the 2024 salary amount from that $14M option amount to the say like $13M with a 2/$26M extension? Lowering the AAV and luxury tax amount.
If I read it right, it’s a two year extension so that could be as you said but it could also be two years after 24. I think Muncy would get more on the market, possibly much more.
Then trade him if there’s value but extending him?? Why?????
It’s still short term, shows loyalty both ways and could send a further message to free agent targets
Yes. 2 years control is worth more on trade market.
“Shows loyalty on the trade market” i really don’t think anyone cares about this
Because he’s an above average 3B at the plate and potentially a top 5 3B at the plate with more bounce back. Yeah the fielding has gone down but at these $s an idiot would turn down this opportunity. Roster construction is not always about getting the perfect guy in every spot. Smart move by Friedman to extend for a year with another club option. Lowe’s AAV next two years by $2mm per season.
Oh, good grief!
3 True Outcomes!!!! He would look fabulous on the Phillies as well with that hitting philosophy.
He’s so below average at 3rd base
Yeah seems like a DH which I think he should do if they don’t sign Ohtani (I would bet they sign Ohtani though).
Definite bouts of concrete hands at 3B, and better at 2B. The Dodgers must see that too. So that opens up a question.
He’s an above average teammate, making sacrifices, playing outside his comfort zone and putting in tons of work to fill a roster void. I think the Dodgers are betting he’ll improve with more reps because, as mentioned in the article, they won’t have many at bats for him at any position other than 3B.
I love me some Snax Muncy.
Anyone else watched him at 3B and thought the Dodgers would be slightly better defensively if him and Freeman swapped?
at what point in the last decade has Freeman played 3b better than Muncy?
Don’t know if “better” but Freeman played there for the Braves while Matt Adams was hot around 2018 or 2019. Didn’t embarrass himself even though he hadn’t played it since HS.
Sid, I remember. It was 2017. At this point, definitely worth a try. If not for kicks
It’s not worth throwing a now older Freeman to a position he hasn’t played in six years, especially just for kicks lol.. Dodgers have 162 million reasons not to try that.
His pitching performance was definitely memorable. Freddie can do it all.
not sure if you’re trolling, but you’d take a Gold Glover off of 1b on the off chance he’s better than Muncy at 3b to basically make the infield worse? 1b gets downgraded defensively while 3b has a chance to maybe be a little better?
I’m sure Freddie would love that. Fantasyland.
Schwaber is getting 20mil a year – very similar player profiles.
And his 14 mil option was going to be exercised for next year anyway. It’s basically adding 1 year at 14m and an option year at 10m.
@Echopark It keeps the effective salaries like this: 2024 at 14m, adds 2025 at 10m, and gives the Dodgers a 10m option for 2026. It’s adding 2025 at 10m and bumping the option year to 2026.
Unless the wording changes, as has happened.
Muncy’s the kind of guy whose career ends in three months. At this point he’s looking for all the guaranteed money he can get.
Lowers the AAV for luxury tax number too.
Muncy has late, but very accurate pitch recognition and then he swings fast and hard through the strike zone.
The minute his vision ages a tick or he suffers a back injury, Muncy will probably fall off a cliff. However, until then, I feel comfortable penciling him in for 30 plus dingers, an OPS of 750ish, and decent field work.
This contract is one of the most reasonable deals in the league. My hat is off to the Dodger brass for keeping Muncy at a low risk number with team friendly options, while also giving fan favorite culture guy a fair salary.
Has to be to lower his salary this season and that’s fine. Even though his average was ridiculously low he did get his power back. The only thing that bothers me is how bad he is at 3B, he was better at 2B. Would rather see him moved to 2B and either give one of the kids a shot at 3B or sign someone like Chapman who’s a good defensive 3rd baseman and will hit for a decent average. I’m sure Lux will play SS. I love Vargas but I wouldn’t mind putting him in a package for a starter.
Chapman is going to cost you a lot more than Muncy and a lot more length/risk to the contract. Athletic saying 6 years/$127mm. Willing to do that and get less SP? No doubt the glove will be much better but the bat will also be worse than Muncy’s. He may also get a QO, which would then lead to lost draft pick for the Dodgers.
This re- signing will be regrettable.
Somehow I think the Dodgers will survive.
rr
“This re- signing will be regrettable.”
How many years in a row have you said this?
Since Nolan Ryan became the first $1MM player in a multi-year deal in 1980.
Agreed
I was originally thinking the only way they picked up the option on Muncy or signed a new deal was if JD Martinez went elsewhere
They were bringing Muncy back regardless of JDM status. It’s a good deal and now even better with an extra year at lower AAV. Win-win.
Good move. I’m sure he is getting a nice increase. I was hoping the Jays would make a play for him but that’s not happening now
My favorite Max Muncy moment of all time is when he hit a Madison Bumgarner pitch about 700 feet into the ocean, and Bumgarner proceeded to act like the biggest cry baby on the planet. Max told him to go in the ocean and get it. Not particularly fond of Muncy, but Bumgarner might be one of my least favorite players ever with the amount of crying he did every time someone went yard off him. Always reminded me a spoiled little leaguer. Great playoff pitcher, huge doucher though.
They signed him. 2/24 with team option for one more season.
Does the extension include a No-Trade Clause?
Hope he goes on a diet this winter.
Now that Joc is a free agent, he’ll have to drop 40 and be “in the best shape of my life” by spring.
Muncy did look heavier by year end.
I like Max but I think its been time to move on. He doesn’t hit enough homers to justify his terrible batting average and defense. If you’re going to be batting .200 every season. You better be hitting 50 plus home runs.
DDC
“I like Max but I think its been time to move on. He doesn’t hit enough homers to justify his terrible batting average and defense. If you’re going to be batting .200 every season. You better be hitting 50 plus home runs.”
Support your assertion with evidence
Muncy was 18% better than the league average hitter last season (wOBA)
Muncy produced 2.9 fWAR and 2.6 bWAR last season
His ability to get on base and hit for power does justify his terrible ratio of hits to at bats and defense.
@filihok Well said. Another virtue of Muncy’s approach is how few DPs he hits into. He averages 5-6 DPs a year.
He hits so few grounders, it makes sense he hits into few DPs. He makes Will Smith look fast.
LOL
This guy is an atrocious defender and all-around unlikable person. What is Friedman thinking?
I think, aside from being a deadbeat dad, Muncy is actually pretty likeable. And when I say deadbeat dad, I of course mean the maltreatment of his children in San Francisco
He spanked neon (Castro district neighborhood watch) cop too hard?
This signals to me they won’t resign J.D. Martinez. Muncy will DH if they don’t sign Ohtani. I still think Ohtani resigns (maybe a 1 year deal) with the Angels.
Rstitch
“I still think Ohtani resigns (maybe a 1 year deal) with the Angels.”
Would you care to put money on that?
this “filihok” guy seems like a massive tool…
Oh yes he is!! BIG tool!
Neon – welcome to the team!
So he corrected you for being wrong and you didn’t like it.
JDM may wait around for Ohtani deal to take place first. We’ll see if the Ddogers actually pull the trigger on Ohtani and even JDM if they don’t acquire Ohtani. I don’t think Muncy had anything to do with JDM. Muncy is plugged in for 3B. If he’s moving it could be 2B. DH is always an option but I think least ideal for value out of the 3 positions.
The “Max Muncy is obese” joke lives on!
Don’t get me wrong love Muncy but WTF. A 200 hitter that strikes out 35% of his at bats. Not a good fielder. Should have cut bait last extension. Ugh. So over Friedman and kasten and the 1990 braves we have become. Good enough to be competitive make money by drawing in the fans but never winning it all. Time for change.
J5
“”Don’t get me wrong love Muncy but WTF. A 200 hitter that strikes out 35% of his at bats. ”
A hitter who was 18%% better than league average last season due to his ability to get on base and hit for power.
“not a good fielder. Should have cut bait last extension”
Produced 2.9 fWAR and 2.6 bWAR last year.
@Jordan 5 26% k rate in 2023, 25% k rate for his career. Very low DP rate.
We’ve known for decades that the cost of 100 extra strikeouts is extremely low, and that better players K more, but people still carry on about the K’s.
Strange.
The number of people commenting in this section who think they’re smarter than Andrew Friedman is quite funny.
First time here?
Well Andrew Friedman is smarter than everybody, and if you don’t believe it, just ask him.
When is Friedman going to take a
bite out of his yuge slice of Humble Pie???
When he says he doesn’t have any answers he sure has me convinced.
Stunner – Dogers must believe this guy is a bargain & possibly the most economical fallback option available in the event Ohtani is not secured..
Another poster observed Muncy appeared to heavier by the end of this past season- season – this is a troubling trend & will add to his regression & ability to maintain his ability to stay healthy & in the lineup everyday..
Also someone compared him to Kyle Schwarber?….no way- Kyle is three years younger, a better hitter & possess / contributes informal leadership & clubhouse presence skills beyond Muncys.
I saw him in line with Alec Manoah and Alejandro Kirk at the Golden Corral in Yuba City the other day.
They had a long wait. The buffet was cleaned out by Vogelbach.
I heard Vogey has already been 86ed , it would be a trespassing ticket, the Golden Corral had to take a loan out to buy more food because he eats so much.
It’s funny because they are overweight.
Well that’s a wholly unsubstantiated comment.
Schwarber – 119 wRC+ in ‘23
Muncy – 118 wRC+ in ‘23
Schwarber – 1.4 fWAR
Muncy – 2.9 fWAR
Schwarber – 13.0 fWAR over last 7 seasons
Muncy – 19.6 fWAR over last 7 seasons
And if you think Muncy is below average defensively, then Schwarber is an absolute butcher. His defensive numbers are all considerably worse than Muncy’s.
Schwarber is two years younger by playing age, not three. And Schwarber’s playing shape is no better than Muncy’s.
They are almost the exact identical players, except Schwarber is even worse on defense.
Seems like good $ value in isolation but with Lux returning, if they do sign Ohtani the line up would be very left-hand heavy, at least to start. Hopefully they have another everyday-caliber RH bat in mind instead of another season of Chris Taylor/Trayce Thompson style platooning.
Dodgers should have moved on from Muncy. But if they’re looking to avoid the World Series this is a good strategy.
Muncy still has an above average bat and while the glove is bad, they could potentially move him to 2B, DH, or hope for some improvement at 3B. He could also potentially bounce back even more from 2023. The hope is that he gets back to mid 0.850 OPS which would justify the bad defense.
Waste of money on a guy who is hit-first, gets wrecked by good pitching because he’s Schwarber-lite and is overweight to play decent 2B. Dodgers needed to move on. Absolutely the wrong guy to extend.
Maybe Friedman plans on trading Muncy??
Otherwise it makes no sense to extend him being he’s the worst defensive 3B currently playing.
Don’t see a deal happening after an extension.
Two years at $24mm to replace club option makes a lot of sense. The Dodgers were going to pick up the $14mm club option for 2024 anyways, but now you can extend Muncy for an additional $10mm, bringing down the AAV from $14mm to $12mm. Muncy will be fine at the plate. Who knows what they decide to do at 3B. Busch is not going to be the answer there either. Right now though seems like Muncy goes back to 3B and hopefully shows some improvement on the field.
Muncy will be Muncy at the plate. Whether that’s fine depends on how you feel about not making a lot of contact. We’re going to see if Friedman has any new ideas. This move suggests otherwise.
I would still like to see Friedman try to work out a deal for Arenado with the Cardinals. Cardinals get something like Diego Cartaya, Gavin Stone, Yency Almonte & Victor Gonzalez.
Dodgers get Nolan Arenado & Tommy Edman.
Dependent on Dodgers signing Ohtani, and one or two of Snell, Montgomery, Yamamoto or Nola and another trade for Corbin Burnes or Dylan Cease if signing only one FA pitcher.
That’s one long shot wish list. The free agent 3B market is pretty uninspiring so who knows, but I’m seeing the extension of Muncy as a signal of no changes planned at the hot corner for the Dodgers next year and beyond.
Almonte and Gonzalez have zero trade value. Almonte potentially released. That’s not enough to get Arenado, nor do the Dodgers need Arenado. Offense was not the issue for the Dodgers and fielding was good. Ohtani is not going to help the Dodgers SP much in 2024. I do see Friedman signing and trading for SP. Need at least 2-3 SPs.
Dodgers under Friedman have only made it to the playoffs 9 seasons in a row. Glad to see we have more capable front office talent here. You can’t spend the money everywhere so you pick your battles. Starting pitching is the area of most need, not 3B. But I’m sure our world class front office Dodger fans know that already.
Friedman has access to one of the largest purses in baseball. Yes some FOs fail to build competitive teams even with money to spend, but some also manage it without much loot to burn. So no excuses. The Dodgers have been great at getting to the dance but then also notorious for not seeming to have a good plan for what to do once they get there. Out of curiosity I added up the Dodgers record over the last ten postseasons. It’s 52-50 (.510). Kind of lousy. No wonder they’ve been left standing at the alter so often.
So this is a real thing, and no secret. Even Friedman acknowledges that much. Last year about all he had to say about the postseason wipeout to a team they’d dominated all season long is he didn’t have any answers. After this year’s repeat he said almost exactly the same thing. Hey, I thought he was paid to have answers. Maybe not?
Well sure, you can’t spend everywhere, even if you’re the Dodgers, and 3B probably isn’t a priority. But that begs the question of whether Muncy is really a good option for that position or just a default they are sticking with because he’s already there. It also begs the question of whether it’s much fun to watch a player who is so one-dimensional. For my money, I’m going to say not very much.
Barring a few years, the Dodgers have always had a very large wallet but they’ve never been this consistent in terms of winning NL West pennants, winning percentage, making the playoffs.. The “they spend” argument doesn’t work. against Friedman.
We all know that postseason is a different ball game. How many of us thought that the WS would be comprised of the Diamondbacks vs Rangers? Or that the Phillies were going to play in the WS in 2022? If so you’re lying. Braves dominated 2023 and saw an early exit. Same has happened to the Dodgers even in years where they had stronger SP and overall team. Its by far the most unpredictable postseason in all of the major professional sports. You really don’t know who’s actually going to go far.
That said, there were hints that the Dodgers were not going to be a strong playoff team despite the great record. And I was very critical of Friedman for not getting enough SP at the deadline. As good as he’s been he does deserve blame for that. But the offense was very good in 2023. How many of us thought Betts and Friedman were going to combine for 1/21 in three games? Most of us would have bet the farm on 2 or more hits. I think most of us knew that the SP wasn’t good enough for a deep run and they actually performed even worse. I don’t buy into choking or postseason jinx or whatever. Performances in small sample sizes does that to you.
Back to Muncy. What else are you going to do at 3B when you’re presented with a good opportunity? Squander it when you have much more pressing needs at other positions? I laugh at those that say the Dodgers need to get rid of Barnes, a stinking backup catcher. Did they make a bad deal and are stuck with him? Yeah, but you’re not going out of your way to deal for a backup C and eat the $3.5mm owed to Barnes. That is stupidity.
Back to Muncy again. I’m not going to spend prospect/farm capital to obtain a 3B when I may need that more for SP trades. Internally there are no better options. From what we’ve seen/heard Busch is a bat first guy and hasn’t actually produced yet at the MLB level. Remember when everyone was giddy about Vargas? Busch is more likely to be given an opportunity to win the 2B job. You have Lux back playing together with glove first Rojas. I don’t think infield is the issue. Sure, they may get someone to solidify the position, or if they’re blown away by a trade availability someone more substantial. But the focus should be first and foremost the SP, and then addressing LF/DH. Why stress about 3B when you have a team friendly deal already?
As the man said, if you want a guarantee, buy a toaster. Baseball isn’t about guarantees, it’s about giving yourself a better chance. And especially in the analytics era giving yourself a better chance is about preparation and game planning.
The D’backs came into the DS knowing that they had to suppress the top of the Dodgers order. The Dodgers had to know this too. So who’s plan was better? Kind of speaks for itself. The results are less completely random than they might seem, especially when each year Friedman admits he doesn’t know what went wrong. But don’t you think he should know? I sure do.
As a fan I have no interest in whether a contract is team friendly. I find no entertainment value in contracts, and fans who don’t hang out in baseball discussions have even less interest. But when that guy in the middle of the order strikes out with the bases loaded, that they care about. Because that’s the game.
Picking up on your comment about Barnes, many if not most fans don’t really appreciate what a catcher does. They see one who swings a light bat and automatically assume he isn’t carrying his weight the team. Pitchers will set you straight on that one. They know how much a receiver matters.
It has nothing to do with planning. The Dodgers are probably the most thorough team in planning for a series. They knew that the Diamondback running game was going to give them issues. They knew that their SP was quite a bit short. But what you’re going to do? You have pitchers that are not good at holding runners on and catchers who are not good at throwing out runners. They were going to need their SPs to avoid putting runners on base and look at what happened. You have your personnel and have to deal with that. Diamondback stole 23 bases in postseason by far the best team. Did all the other team just not plan? It’s their strength. There is only so much you can do to get around that and it starts with not putting them on base.; Easier said than done. t alone a postseason let alone in three games. Three games!! Dodgers were #2 in MLB in OPS, runs scored, HRs, OBP, slugging.
How many times do Betts and Freeman go 1/21 in a three game stretch? Probably never happened in their Dodger tenure. We’re talking about end-tail events. Has nothing to do with planning. Baseball is a very difficult sport. Ever played? It’s extremely difficult to maintain performance in a year in and year out term let alone a postseason or three playoff games
You may have no interest in contracts but ignorance is no excuse especially if you’re going to be so adamant one way or the other. You’d think if you’re going to be opinionated that you would at least learn more about it or keep up with it. Or else you just sound like another casual Dodger fan that just whines about everything. Fire Roberts, Friedman is not that good thinks he’s so smart, etc. I have no issues on criticism when it’s warranted or well argued.
My point on Barnes too is that he barely plays. He plays more during the regular season but he’s not moving the needle and will barely play in the postseason barring injury. Fans that whine about him don’t know baseball.
I beg to differ on just about every point you make here. The game is very much about planning in the analytics era, and honestly don’t see where you’ve made one single argument against this obviously true statement. You can say the Dodgers excel at game planning, but then you see the postseason results and have to at least ask yourself if that’s really true.
On contracts I am simply saying that they have no entertainment value, and most fans don’t care about them whatsoever. This isn’t “ignorance” it’s about being more interested in the game than the business of the game. A lot of the fans who read and post here get so wrapped in financial issues they lose track of the fact that baseball is an entertainment. This is why we watch. Accusing someone of “whining” because they understand this is, well, pretty much just whining.
This “casual” Dodger fan has been a season ticket holder for decades. So take that nonsense somewhere else, please. It’s just a lame excuse for not responding to the actual points being made. And for the record, we were having a polite discussion until you went that way.
So you don’t think players determine the outcomes? Having played the game before I can tell you that outcomes vary significantly. And most of times it has nothing to do with planning or game management. DBacks easily beat the Dodgers early in season. I know for those more distant to the game, they probably don’t understand that. Even the worst teams beat the best teams in a short series. This is MLB. Best of the best talent. Even the best players go 0 for 5 in a game. Or as we learned 1/21. I recommend you understand the game a little better along with some classes on statistics. Right now you sound a bit ignorant.
I could care less about your entertainment value. As a fan you have every right to byych and moaan about the team. The “financial issues” often explain why personnel decisions are made. People don’t simply get wrapped about it because they love the topic but rather because of its relevance to roster construction and player personnel. Again you can whine about it, remove yourself from it or attempt to understand why/how decisions are made about certain players.
Oh so you think because you’re a season ticket holder you can be ignorant and overly demanding? Newsflash for you the Dodgers led MLB in attendance for the 11th season in a row. They don’t need you as much as you may think they do. They will lead MLB in attendance without you. You have every right to whine and ultimately cancel your season tickets. But guess what? Someone else will gladly take your seats. Dodgers won’t be worried about that. There are too many whiny casual fans like you. Friedman’s job is to sustainably compete for a WS, not to please “fans” with unrealistic expectations. That’s why the Dodgers are “always in it” for every major free agent signings. He knows how pissed fans like you would be if the Dodgers didn’t show enough interest in so and so free agent.
Hit or miss. Pun intended. Who doesn’t love 30 homeruns? But the whiffs and the glove are hard to watch. Max, call Cody and ask what how he did it…
wRC+ of 118 and a WAR of 2.9. But let’s talk about his weight–as if the Dodgers are in the business of selling blue jeans.
Spot on Mr Powers. Finding similar stat players that will settle for $12M per year would be a tough task. Fielding won’t matter as much in 2024 as Max will slide back to a utility role and the analytics folks will put him on the field in positions least likely to have fielding chances. Great signing!
Way too much for a Ham and egger performance. Do not pay old guys who are marginal money for a Good(not star) players!
2.9 WAR is a ham and egger performance?
Why do I even bother to read these comments? Written by children.
You are new favorite on this site
Muncy and LA are good fits for each other. Contract length and money looks right.
Another solid deal.
I’m surprised how many Dodger fans don’t like him. I understand that people aren’t particularly excited about the three true outcome profile as an entertainment product, but it’s undeniably effective and pretty stable as a skill set. It’s not even like he has wildly high K rates. I guess I have more patience for long at bats than some. As a Blue Jay fan who just watched a team that swung at every pitcher’s pitch and gave away too many easy outs, I’d sign up for a Muncy type any day. Balls in play aren’t that entertaining to me when they are roll over grounders and can o’ corn fly balls. I’ll take a few more strikeouts and a high OBP guy who puts good quality of contact balls in play when he does. That seems like a pretty good deal for the Dodgers.
They have other problems and just blew $12-mil per year on a guy that does not fix said problems. Unless the Dodgers are looking at a significant payroll increase this Muncy extension is a total waste.
I don’t see $12m for a really good hitter a waste. Maybe it doesn’t provide the same roster flexibility that a more defensively minded player might, but he can play a few positions if not well and there is a DH in the NL now.
Kam – I’ll concede that “really good” is subjective but I just can’t call his stats “really good” for a guy that is basically a DH. Add in the hope that they sign Ohtani for DH, then what about Martinez, and well, you have been better letting him walk. If those other 2 guys don’t end up in LA, then probably going to be just fine at 12 mil / year investment for 2 years.
They may already know what is going on with Martinez from chatter.
What do you think it costs in the open market to obtain someone that will match his production? Internally there aren’t any proven options. You can stick a young guy like Busch but he has no history of producing at the MLB level and a history of bad defense in the minors. Is this helping or hurting the cause when you already have a team friendly deal? $12mm is nothing for Muncy’s production, which could improve further in 2024.
Agreed and Muncy still has some bounce back ability. He may not be high 800 to high 900 OPS any more but he certainly can get to mid to high 800 OPS. He’s still very good at chase rate but he’s taken a big step down there. If he can improve on that you’re definitely going to see his OPS improve.
AJ would of gave him 10 years
Muncy is worth the money the Dodgers gave him, and by the way, since when do the Dodgers have a real budget. For them it;s always about getting the players they want, except for last year saving up for Ohtani!
Good for both sides! Muncy can still slug and has some positional versatility.