The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signing of manager Dave Roberts to a four-year contract extension that will keep him at the helm through the 2029 season.
“We could not be more thrilled about continuing our long-running partnership with Dave,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in a statement.
“As we’ve preached time and time again, continuity and stability are staples of this organization, and we are incredibly excited that this agreement allows us to maintain our focus of working together towards bringing more championships to Los Angeles.
“Dave’s leadership both on the field and in the clubhouse elevates those around him and allows our players to go and perform at an elite level night in and night out. He has become a strong presence in the community, and represents all the best qualities of our organization.”
Roberts’ new deal includes a record average annual value of $8.1 million per season, the most ever for an MLB manager. The total value of Roberts’ extension comes out to $32.4 million.
Roberts’ contract surpasses the average annual value of Craig Counsell’s, who signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs before the 2024 season.
It is the third contract extension signed by Roberts during his tenure with the Dodgers, which began in 2016.
In 2018, he agreed to a four-year extension ahead of the Winter Meetings. Then in 2022, Roberts signed a three-year extension two weeks before the start of the regular season.
The Dodgers have reached at least 91 wins in every full year with Roberts as manager. The lone exception was the shortened 2020 season, when Roberts led the Dodgers to the Majors’ best record at 43-17.
Roberts ranks fourth among all-time Dodgers managers in total wins with 851. Ahead of him are Walter Alston (2,040), Tommy Lasorda (1,599) and Wilbert Robinson (1,375).
Roberts’ career .627 winning percentage is the highest of any manager in MLB history (minimum 315 games). It’s bested only by Negro League managers Bullet Rogan (.698), Vic Harris (.663) and Rube Foster (.633).
The Dodgers won the National League West division title in eight of the nine years Roberts has led the club. The only year the Dodgers did not win the division under his watch, they tied a then-franchise record for wins in a season with 106.
Under Roberts, the 2022 Dodgers set their current franchise record for wins in a season with 111.
In the postseason, Roberts has led the Dodgers to the World Series four times (2017, 2018, 2020, 2024). The Dodgers won two of those (2020, 2024), and could have added another if not for the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal in 2017.
The Dodgers have gone 56-44 (.560) in the Postseason with Roberts leading the club.
In addition to his statistical accolades, Roberts has been praised by players and the front office for his people management skills and ability to control a clubhouse.
Dodgers had goal to sign Dave Roberts before Tokyo Series
The Dodgers entered the offseason with a goal of extending Roberts as he entered the final year of his contract. However, they put it on the backburner as the front office first focused on assembling the roster.
When Spring Training began, the Dodgers and Roberts set a goal to get an extension done before the team left for the Tokyo Series in Japan on March 12.
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