Since the conclusion of the 2018 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ coaching staff and front office have needed to undergo some remodeling.
Third base and infield coach Chris Woodward was hired to be manager of the Texas Rangers, which didn’t come as much of a surprise although he will need to be replaced.
Then, in a shocking move on Tuesday morning, hitting coach Turner Ward left the organization for the same position with the Cincinnati Reds on David Bell’s staff, so a replacement for him is now needed as well.
There haven’t been any changes in the front office yet, although general manager Farhan Zaidi might soon be leaving to be the president of baseball operations of the San Francisco Giants, so they may soon be in search of a new general manager.
Luckily for the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts does not plan to go anywhere despite not yet having a contract in place for the 2019 season. He does have a team option, although the plan all along for both sides is to get a long-term extension done.
As recently as Monday, an extension agreement was reportedly not yet close to happening. Things can change quickly though as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is now reporting that it is close:
#Dodgers getting close on extension with manager Dave Roberts, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 6, 2018
The deadline for Roberts’ 2019 option to be picked up is Wednesday, so if they are going to agree on an extension then it will likely come before then.
Even if they don’t by then though, they can simply pick up his option and then continue the extension talks. So barring any drastic changes, it’s looking like Roberts will be back as the manager of the Dodgers in 2019 and beyond.
