The Los Angeles Dodgers have a busy offseason ahead of them and one that could bring about a slew of changes to the roster.
The organization initially saw 11 players reach free agency last week before three additional pitchers in Joe Kelly, Scott Alexander and Jimmie Sherfy were added to the group. Another who may soon no longer be under contract is manager Dave Roberts.
As it currently stands he has one year remaining on a four-year extension signed after the 2018 season. After the Dodgers were eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series, Roberts expressed hope that the club would initiate contract extension talks this offseason.
He wants to avoid reaching the dreaded lame duck status, but even if the sides are unable to reach an agreement before the start of next season, Roberts plans to play out the final year of his deal.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman noted that his current focus is on the roster but intends to eventually discuss a potential contract extension with Roberts, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“For us, we’ve got a lot of near-term things with people we aren’t sure are going to be here that we’re working through. I’m sure it’s something we’ll have conversations on at some point.”
Since taking the helm as manager at the start of the 2016 season, Roberts has led the Dodgers to an MLB-best 542-329 record, five NL West titles, three NL pennants and one World Series championship.
Despite being a constant target of criticism for some of his in-game decisions in the postseason, Roberts has been an integral part of the organization’s recent success, and the expectation is that a new agreement eventually will be worked out.
Friedman expects Roberts to be ‘big part’ of Dodgers’ future
When asked about Roberts’ contract status last month, Friedman said he expects the manager to be a big part of the Dodgers’ future and implied the two would discuss a new deal in the coming months.
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