The offseason is off to a good start for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they have already re-signed veteran David Freese and inked long-time ace Clayton Kershaw to a three-year contract extension.
They did lose an important part of the organization though as third base and infield coach Chris Woodward was officially named the manager of the Texas Rangers, which is an outstanding opportunity for him. All the other coaches on the staff have been invited to return in 2019, so hopefully, Woodward is the only one they have to replace.
Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ future with the organization remains somewhat up in the air though as he currently does not have a contract for the 2019 season. He does have a team option, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at the conclusion of the season that the hope is to sign him to a long-term extension.
It appears that is next on the Dodgers’ to-do list as according to Jon Heyman of FanCred, they have begun talks with Roberts:
With Kershaw deal done, the Dodgers have started extension talks with manager Dave Roberts. The team holds option for 2019 but now there’s hope something longer could get done within a few days, possibly this weekend.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 3, 2018
Roberts took a lot of criticism this postseason for how he utilized his pitching staff, but he has accomplished plenty in his short time as Dodgers manager.
The Dodgers won the National League West in all three seasons with him at the helm, making it to the World Series in two of them. They still have not been able to win that World Series Cchampionship, but if all goes according to plan, Roberts will remain in his role when that does end up happening, which is what he said he plans to do.
