The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the best teams in baseball, and with that, comes huge expectations, especially for manager Dave Roberts.
Year in and year out they are one of the biggest spenders in the offseason, and this year was no different with the additions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
After being injured for a large portion of the year, Yamamoto is getting in the groove again before the MLB Playoffs begin.
Shohei Ohtani has certainly been worth his price tag, as he just belted his 48th homer and is now only 2 home runs and 2 steals away from becoming the only member of the 50-50 club.
Related: Shohei Ohtani Home Run Tracker
So with all of this spending, and all of these expectations, the Dodgers certainly cannot have another early post-season exit. In fact, anything other than winning the World Series would be seen as a letdown.
So what does that mean for manager Dave Roberts? This is probably the biggest question on every fan’s mind.
MLB Insider Gives Update On Dave Roberts Job Status
ESPN’s Buster Olney included Roberts in his recent article delving into the managers and executives with the most at stake this October. He writes:
There are enormous expectations for the team despite the mountain of pitching injuries it has dealt with. The front office and coaching staff will collaborate on a plan to work through the postseason, but Roberts is ultimately responsible for the in-game choices. If the Dodgers lose, will he be held responsible?
Buster Olney, ESPN
Unfortunately, this is a less definitive answer than just about anything we heard in the Presidential Debate.
We all know that his seat is hot, and we all know that he is responsible for in-game decision-making, that is kind of the role of manager.
If this team remains snake-bitten by injuries, then perhaps Roberts will get another pass, but if they get relatively healthy and are unable to make a deep run to the World Series, then it might be time for the Los Angeles Dodgers to find another skipper.