For all the Los Angeles Dodgers accomplished during another wildly successful offseason, one final item has remained before the start of the Tokyo Series on March 18.
Manager Dave Roberts has just one year remaining on a contract extension he signed in 2022, two weeks before Opening Day. Roberts technically facing the prospect of being a lame-duck manager has been downplayed both by him and the Dodgers front office amid an expectation for a new extension to be put into place.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Roberts and the Dodgers are closing in on a new contract that will break the manager record held by Craig Counsell:
Dave Roberts and the Dodgers have made strong progress toward an extension that is expected to top the managerial annual value record and be finalized before the team leaves Wednesday to open the season in Tokyo, sources told The Post.
The deal was not finalized, but GM Brandon Gomes described “conversations that are very good” and Roberts said he anticipates a positive resolution soon.
Counsell’s salary has seemingly been a bar publicly set as Roberts and the Dodgers continued to assure throughout the offseason that negotiations would be completed before the start of the 2025 season.
Counsell became the highest-paid manager in MLB history when he signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs before the 2024 season.
It’s not yet clear if Roberts’ new Dodgers contract will include as many years as Counsell’s deal, but it appears he will earn a salary of at least $9 million.
Roberts at times has faced plenty of criticisms over in-game decisions, but a career .627 winning percentage is the highest of any manager in MLB history (minimum 315 games). It’s topped only by Negro League managers Bullet Rogan (.698), Vic Harris (.663) and Rube Foster (.633).
Roberts has led the Dodgers to four World Series, first in 2017 and followed by appearances in 2018, 2020 and 2024. The Dodgers won two of them under Roberts and arguably would have another if not for the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal.
The Dodgers have won the the National League West eight times in Roberts’ nine seasons as manager.
Dave Roberts not focused on highest-paid manager
When recently discussing his contractual status, Roberts said he was merely looking for value from the Dodgers and he reiterated that stance by downplaying the notion he was determined on becoming the top-paid manager in MLB history.
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