After an extremely eventful and successful offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers, there is still one very important item left to address before the season starts.
A contract extension for their soon-to-be Hall of Fame Manager Dave Roberts.
We learned that contract negotiations between Roberts and the Dodgers organization began just a week ago, and today Roberts put a hopeful timeline on when a deal will be signed.
According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Roberts said he’s “optimistic” and “very hopeful” that he and the Dodgers get a deal done before the end of the spring and the start of the season.
“Obviously, I love being here. I haven’t shied away from that. I’m confident it’s going to get done. Right now, being here, I’m just really focused on these guys and pouring into them and just trying to get better and do something really special for this ’25 club.”
Dave Roberts
Dave Roberts – From Hot Seat To Highest-Paid?
For years, it seems, Roberts has been on the hot seat. After winning the World Series during the Covid season in 2020, the Dodgers could not reach that same success and had multiple first-round exits in the playoffs.
He has a lifetime record of 851-507 as a manager, which equals a winning percentage of .627. This is the highest winning percentage for any manager in MLB history with at least 1000 games managed.
And yet, five months ago, it felt like he was managing for his life.
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That all changed after the Boys in Blue came back and beat the Padres. They would go on to beat both New York teams and secure the World Series, in part thanks to a master class in managing by Roberts.
Thanks to this run, the expectation is that Roberts will become the highest-paid manager in league history. He is currently the 11th highest-paid manager averaging $3.25 million per year.
Chicago Cubs manager, Craig Counsell is currently the highest-paid manager in baseball with a 4-year, $40 million contract.
Hopefully, by the end of the month, Roberts will have shattered this number, and the Dodgers will have their manager locked up for years to come.