Dodgers' Max Muncy contract decision kills Alex Bregman rumors before they can start

For the first full month of the 2025 season, it was fair to wonder if the Dodgers would stay loyal to one of their longest-tenured players and pick up his option for 2026. Max Muncy had a .194 average and .610 OPS by the end of April, and he didn't seem to be making improvements, no matter what the Dodgers tried to do to fix him.

He reached his rock bottom on May 6, with a .176/.308/.278 slash line after a hitless game against the Marlins, but then things started slowly trending upward. The solution was a no-brainer: Muncy just started wearing glasses. He finished the year with a .243 average and .846 OPS, as well as one of the most crucial overlooked homers in World Series history.

In the 2024-2025 offseason, one of the biggest questions in all of baseball was whether or not Nolan Arenado — who made it clear he desperately wanted to be a Dodger — would be traded. It turned out that the Dodgers never matched his interest, but the rumors still begged the question of whether or not LA would dump their aging third baseman for a defensive upgrade and possible reclamation project in Arenado.

This offseason, Arenado trade rumors will probably still persist, but fellow third baseman Alex Bregman, who just declined his player option with the Red Sox, will once again suck all of the air out of the room.

Thankfully, we won't have to listen to inane rumors about either of them potentially coming to LA. On Thursday, the Dodgers exercised their $10 million club option on Muncy to retain him in 2026.

Dodgers exercise $10 million club option to keep Max Muncy in 2026

Muncy's regular season turnaround, on top of the fact that he became the Dodgers' all-time postseason home runs leader this year, made picking up his option a no-brainer. He still sort of disappeared during the postseason outside of the three homers, but so did the rest of the Dodgers' offense. $10 million is a steal for a clubhouse staple like Muncy, who still might be able to give the Dodgers 20+ homers next year and has made strides on defense at third.

Bregman hasn't been substantially connected to anyone since opting out of his Red Sox deal, but if the Dodgers had declined Muncy's option, it's more likely than not that "Bregman to the Dodgers" would've started floating around (if the Dodgers are actually willing to get over 2017 enough to sign him, which is a little doubtful).

Muncy's right where he belongs. The 2026 roster wouldn't feel right without him.