DETROIT, MI – JULY 13: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the dugout during the 2nd inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 13, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Dodgers 11-9 in 10 innings. Ohtani hit his 200th career MLB home run in the 5th inning. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to make some significant roster additions as the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings get underway at the end of the week.
The team has managed to win back-to-back World Series championships following successive blockbuster offseasons, so it might want to stick with that formula. And on the to-do list should be reinforcing the bullpen and shopping for an outfield upgrade if they want to three-peat.
But looking a bit further ahead, the Dodgers will also have to consider their infield alignment beyond next season. The team secured veteran third baseman Max Muncy by exercising a $10 million club option, but next season could mark his end with the team.
“Muncy, whose option is valued at $10 million, is now the Dodgers’ longest-tenured player,” Alden Gonzalez reported for ESPN. “Muncy’s 16 career postseason home runs are now a franchise record, surpassing Justin Turner and Corey Seager (13 each).”
Muncy has been central to the last three Dodgers championships and enjoyed All-Star campaigns in both 2019 and 2021. Though he hasn’t retained his best form in recent seasons, he slashed a decent .243/.376/.470 this past season after getting off to a brutal start.
With 2026 marking his 11th season in the big leagues, one might think that the 34-year-old Muncy could be considering retirement after his club option with the team is through. Or, he might have been curious to explore free agency and see what life is like on another team.
But instead, Muncy revealed his desire to discuss a return to the Dodgers after next season.
“I think we’ve created such a good relationship with (the Dodgers front office) that there’s just not really any rush to get to that point,” Muncy said during a recent appearance on “Foul Territory” when asked about seeking an extension with his team. “I would love to, clearly, but yeah, we just have to see how things unfold.”
In addition to revealing that he wants to stick with the Dodgers beyond the 2026 campaign, Muncy said that the team has given him no concrete indication about what direction it might hope to go for his playing future.
“I don’t know what they have in the works with who they’re looking at,” Muncy added. “I’m sure they’re looking at pieces that are out there and who they might try to go after and all that stuff, and once that’s done, maybe we’ll have a discussion and maybe we won’t. I honestly don’t know.”
It seems like both the Dodgers and Muncy are content to take their ongoing relationship one year at a time. But for the player, at least, there’s a desire to not just three-peat, but accomplish even more together.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/12/03/dodgers-2-time-all-star-breaks-silence-on-playing-future-after-10-million-move/
