Dave Roberts is in the final season of his contract, and has already begun talks with the Dodgers on an extension.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed to reporters on Friday at Camelback Ranch that conversations to extend Roberts are ongoing.
“I’m very hopeful that it will get done. I love being here. I haven’t shied away from that,” Roberts said Friday morning, per SportsNet LA. “I’m confident it’s going to get done. Right now, being here, I’m just really focused on these guys, pouring into them, and just trying to get better and do something really special for his ‘25 club.”
Dave Roberts talks about the shortened offseason, how the Dodgers’ rotation is shaping up, and the plan for distributing opportunities among utility players. pic.twitter.com/tWj1wRDpJy
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 15, 2025
Roberts, with four pennants and two championships in his nine seasons with the Dodgers, has the highest winning percentage (.627) among all major league managers since integration. In an interview last weekend with Buster Olney of ESPN, “Hopefully everything takes care of itself. But it’s about value. I just love this organization, but yeah, you want to feel your value, absolutely.”
Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic delved into said value:
The wide expectation is that Roberts’ new deal will exceed the record five years and $40 million that Craig Counsell received to leave the Milwaukee Brewers for the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season. Considering the track records — Counsell has not won a postseason series since 2018, a span in which Roberts collected three of his four pennants and both titles, with more regular-season success — that should probably be the floor.
Links
- Catcher Will Smith is “a little behind” in camp with an ankle issue, Roberts told reporters, per Ardaya.
- On the Three-Inning Save podcast this week, we talked about the returns of Clayton Kershaw and Kiké Hernández. In a separate episode, we looked back on the five-year anniversary of the Mookie Betts trade.