After parting ways with Don Mattingly after the 2015 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers interviewed a number of managerial candidates before settling on a former player of theirs in Dave Roberts.
Roberts had no previous experience in the role but has been one of the most successful managers in franchise history in his first three seasons. He led the Dodgers to National League West championships in the first two with relative ease.
The 2016 and 2017 seasons also included trips to the NL Championship Series and World Series, respectively. This season was much more difficult for Roberts and the Dodgers, although they rebounded to win the NL West a sixth straight year.
After eliminating the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers are back in the World Series for a second consecutive season, albeit facing a difficult two games to none series deficit.
Roberts’ contract that he signed with the Dodgers was a three-year deal with a team option for a fourth. That has not changed since he signed it so he still does not have anything set in stone beyond this season.
Despite that, Roberts is hopeful that he will remain the manager of the Dodgers beyond 2018 by signing an extension or having his option picked up as he has enjoyed his time in Los Angeles, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think we’ve done a really good job here in the past three years,” Roberts said. “I love it here. I love everything about it. I’m hopeful something will get done. The truth of the matter is there’s an option on me for next year. It’s not my choice anyway.”
It was recently speculated that regardless of how the 2018 season ends, the trio of Roberts, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi are all expected to be back in 2019, which makes sense considering how much success they have had in their short time with the organization.
Among those that have managed at least 400 games for the Dodgers, Roberts’ .586 winning percentage is the fourth-best, ahead of the likes of Hall of Famers Leo Durocher, Walter Alston, Joe Torre and Tommy Lasorda.
The Dodgers have not won a World Series Championship since 1988 though, so the clock is definitely ticking for Roberts and the entire front office.
