It's safe to say that Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy has heard the noise early on this season. With Muncy dealing with a rough first month to the year, rumors began circulating as to whether the Dodgers will replace him. Of course, Nolan Arenado came up, since he is going to be the best third baseman available at the trade deadline.
While speaking with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Muncy addressed the trade rumors surrounding the Dodgers and Arenado and said he understands that it's a "business."
“It’s never easy, but it’s baseball,” Muncy said, h/t The Athletic. “It’s a business. Especially when you’re on a team like this where they expect to win the World Series. You also understand if there’s any chance that they can improve they’re probably going to take that chance. But at the same time, that’s also where I’ve built my relationship with Doc and the front office and they understand where I’m at that, if there’s a chance to improve this team, they can definitely do it. I’m willing to accept any role in that. They know that.”
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Max Muncy addresses Nolan Arenado, Dodgers trade rumors
Muncy knows the business side of baseball, and with the Dodgers being consistent World Series contenders, he knows they are going to bring in the best talent possible to win as many rings as possible. And based on Muncy's comments, he would be more than willing to take on any role to make a trade work.
The Arenado buzz picked up as Muncy is in the midst of an unproductive season. Through 35 games, Muncy has recorded a .177 batting average, a .304 on-base percentage, a .274 slugging percentage, one home run, seven RBI, eight runs, 20 hits, 43 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 113 at-bats.
Arenado has been on the trade block since the end of the 2024 season as the St. Louis Cardinals began their retool. One of the six teams on Arenado's trade wish list were the Dodgers. The thing is, as Ardaya mentions in the article linked above, the Dodgers haven't expressed interest in pursuing Arenado. Instead, the front office backed Muncy.
As of now, there is no buzz that the Dodgers will become interested in Arenado before the trade deadline. Until then, it's up to Muncy to prove their trust was in him was justified by turning things around.