Dave Roberts and Dodgers Set to Make History with Record-Breaking Contract Extension
GLENDALE, Ariz. — In a move that has the baseball world buzzing, Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed on a four-year extension that will set a new benchmark for average annual value on a manager’s contract. This exciting development was shared by a source with ESPN on Monday, and it’s already making waves across the league.
The new deal, which will span from 2026 to 2029, is set to pay Roberts a whopping $32.4 million. This translates to an $8.1 million average annual value, just enough to surpass the yearly rate on Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. Roberts, who is 52, will continue to manage the 2025 season under his current contract, which was entering its final year.
For those who have been following the Dodgers’ journey, this new deal was hardly a surprise. After all, the Dodgers clinched their second championship in five years last fall, making a new contract for Roberts almost inevitable. Serious negotiations kicked off around February, with significant progress made just last week. An official announcement is expected before the Dodgers head to Japan to start their season on Wednesday. The 2025 season will mark Roberts’ 10th year with the Dodgers, a testament to his enduring impact on the team.
Roberts, who first gained fame as a cult hero in Boston for his pivotal stolen base during the 2004 American League Championship Series, has had a remarkable journey. After a 10-year career as a major league outfielder, he spent five years on the San Diego Padres’ coaching staff. The Dodgers brought him on board in November 2015 to replace Don Mattingly, making him the franchise’s first minority manager.
Since taking the helm, Roberts has led the Dodgers to four National League pennants, eight division titles, and a .627 regular-season winning percentage, the highest ever for someone who has managed at least 250 games. From 2016 to 2024, the Dodgers amassed 907 regular-season and postseason victories. Only the Houston Astros (862) and the New York Yankees (807) have even surpassed 800.
The Dodgers’ dominance is further highlighted by their record of winning at least 100 regular-season games in five of six full seasons from 2017 to 2023. They also finished the 60-game 2020 campaign with a .717 winning percentage. The only year the Dodgers didn’t win the NL West under Roberts, they still managed 106 victories in 2021, just one shy of the San Francisco Giants, whom they later eliminated in the playoffs. Despite these achievements, Roberts has only one Manager of the Year Award, a reflection of the high expectations and pressures of his role.
For years, the Dodgers’ success has been attributed to a well-funded ownership group and a savvy baseball-operations department. Meanwhile, Roberts has often been the scapegoat for postseason disappointments. This was especially true in 2019 when a 106-win Dodgers team fell to the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series after Roberts kept Clayton Kershaw on the mound a bit too long in the decisive Game 5.
However, Roberts demonstrated his resilience by guiding the Dodgers through the unconventional 2020 postseason, which was held in a bubble without any days off within series. This bought him more time, even as more October disappointments followed. The Dodgers were outlasted by the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS in 2021 and were defeated by division rivals in the NLDS in 2022 and 2023, first the Padres and then the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In 2024, the Dodgers faced a similar fate, finding themselves a game away from elimination by the Padres in the NLDS. A third consecutive early exit could have cost Roberts his job. But he managed a bullpen game in Game 4 and relied on dominant pitching in Game 5 to advance. The Dodgers then cruised past the New York Mets and Yankees to secure their first full-season championship since 1988.
The 2024 season showcased Roberts’ best qualities. His calm demeanor helped the team navigate the betting scandal involving Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, early in the year. His positivity kept spirits high despite injuries to key players like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow throughout the summer. In the fall, with a compromised starting rotation, Roberts made all the right moves.
- He navigated through bullpen games on four occasions, most notably to save the season against the Padres and to win the pennant against the Mets.
- In Game 5 of the World Series, when starting pitcher Jack Flaherty didn’t pitch past the second inning, Roberts relied on a beleaguered group of relief pitchers while the Dodgers mounted a spirited comeback.
- He entrusted another starter, Walker Buehler, to record the final three outs.
With this victory, Roberts joined the ranks of Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda as the only Dodgers managers to win multiple rings, likely securing his place in the Hall of Fame. But what Roberts cherished most was the mutual trust between him and his players.
“That’s everything,” Roberts told ESPN shortly after securing the championship. “I believe in them. And this is the first team that I felt really like the trust went both ways. And that regardless of whatever decision I made, they were going to support me 100 percent.”
The New York Post was the first to report on Roberts’ extension.
Originally Written by: Alden Gonzalez
