Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Reveals Reasoning Behind Extension for Max Muncy

Dodgers team president Andrew Friedman openly discussed why extending Max Muncy was a no-brainer.

Andrew Friedman has always been one to trust his process. After all, he he has plenty of evidence to suggest that how he handles a big league team can lead to big success. Max Muncy isn't Joel Embiid, but he is a player who, despite a challenging season at the plate, Friedman always trusted would turn it around.

Prior to first pitch on Monday, the Dodgers announced that they had fully guaranteed Muncy's $13.5M option for 2023, and added a team option for 2024 worth $10M with bonuses that could push the final figure to $14M. Friedman highlighted how despite Muncy's struggles this year coming off of a torn UCL, his daily approach was a driving force   (quotes via OCR's Bill Plunkett).

“I think the stuff under the surface was better than the surface line. We kept telling him that, reiterating it, but obviously he has really high expectations for himself. He cares less about the underlying numbers and more about the actual production. So I think there was some frustration on his end."

Friedman continued to expound on the virtues of a hitter who owned a .164/.320/.319 slash line in the first half of the season and affirming how inking Muncy to deal, despite a troubling season, has value.

“But at every turn, we kept trying to positively reinforce the progress and what we were seeing. Again, there’s no better way to show it than this. I think that peace of mind I would think from my vantage point, speaking for him, has some value.”

Friedman trusts his process, and more importantly, trusts Muncy - a player who follows a process of his own.