There's one big loser of Max Muncy's Dodgers extension (and it's not who you think)

With Clayton Kershaw retired and now a studio analyst for NBC, third baseman Max Muncy is the longest-tenured member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Muncy's tenure dates back to 2018, and on Thursday, the Dodgers ensured that his time with the team will creep toward a decade.

Muncy and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $10 million extension. The extension gives Muncy a $7 million salary in 2027 and a team option for $10 million for 2028. The slugging third baseman was set to be a free agent after the 2026 season.

The Dodgers effectively control Muncy throughout the 2028 season, giving the team long-term stability at third base as long as he continues to produce. The lack of opportunities at third base do have a ripple effect on the rest of the roster, though, and there is one surprising name who may be hurt the most.

Dalton Rushing is the biggest loser of the Dodgers' Max Muncy extension

Yes, the team's backup catcher is the biggest loser of the Dodgers extending a third baseman. Dalton Rushing was never in play to play third base for the Dodgers, but the guy who is blocking him from being a starter could have been.

Will Smith played 58 games at third base in the minors in 2018 and after signing a 10-year deal with the team, it seemed like that was the long-term projection for his career. After all, holding up behind the plate for over a decade, with a bat that good, is a tall order.

Smith didn't just play third base in the minors; he was quite successful at the position thanks to his high school background. In a May 2025 piece, Fangraphs' Jay Jeffe recalled Smith's standing as a third baseman when discussing the potential playing time split between he and Rushing:

"A shortstop in high school, he did play 58 games at third base in the minors and was considered an above-average defender there by Baseball America as late as 2018 (when he played 43 games at third and caught 49 games), but he took so well to catching that he left the hot corner behind," Jeffe wrote.

Smith transitioning to third was a very real hypothesis and if Muncy were to leave after 2026, it would open the door for Rushing to get consistent playing time behind the plate. That timeline is now pushed back at least two years, if not three, making it clear the Dodgers don't view Smith as a third base option in the near future.

That's bad news for Rushing, who is never going to play his way above Smith at the catcher position. And as great as it is to have a talented backup catcher, Rushing is never going to reach his full potential catching two times through every turn in the rotation.

There really aren't any other paths for Rushing to get instant playing time unless he switches positions, but even that is murky. Freddie Freeman has two more years under contract and recently expressed the desire to play until he is 40. He could leave after two, but if he stays in LA, that's four more years of Freeman at first.

There's also less playing time available in the corner outfield with the Kyle Tucker addition. Rushing could theoretically get some spot starts, but he's not going to play over an Andy Pages-Tucker-Teoscar Hernández outfield.

Rushing is stuck as a backup this season, and after Muncy's deal, he's stuck as a backup for multiple years. With that limited ceiling in mind, perhaps he becomes someone who is floated around at the trade deadline for whatever need the Dodgers have at the time.

Either way, it's not good for Rushing's long-term future with the Dodgers.