Manager Dave Roberts, Dodgers agree to a four-year, $32.4 million extension
PHOENIX − Dave Roberts, the longest-tenured manager since Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, agreed Monday to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers through the 2029 season.
Roberts, entering his 10th season with the Dodgers, signed a four-year contract for $32.4 million on Monday morning, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations told Paste BN Sports. The person spoke only on the condition of anonymity the contract is not expected to be announced until Tuesday.
The news was first reported by the New York Post.
Roberts was in the final year of his three-year contract extension that paid him $4 million this season and now doubles his contract, making him the highest-paid manager on an annual average value basis.
Roberts, who has won two World Series titles and is the highest winning percentage (.627) of any manager in MLB history outside the Negro Leagues, said on Friday that he expected his deal to be finalized before the Dodgers leave Wednesday for Tokyo.
The deal falls short of Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract of a year ago, but Counsell was a free agent. Roberts was not interested in testing the market for the potential of a larger contract.
“You guys all know this is where I want to be,’’ Roberts, 52, said this spring. “I just think it all comes down to value. And I think whatever anyone does, they want their value. ...
“I do my job because I love baseball, I love the Dodgers and I love the players. But I do feel the body of work is pretty dang good.”
Indeed, Roberts, who was hired after the 2015 season to replace Don Mattingly, has led the Dodgers to four National League pennants and eight division titles, winning 907 regular season games.
The Dodgers won at least 100 regular-season games in five of the last six full seasons. The only season they didn’t win the NL West under Roberts was in 2021 when they won 106 games, but finished second in the NL West race to the Giants with 107 victories.
Still, despite the overwhelming success, Roberts was worried about losing his job if they had an early exit in the postseason last year for the third consecutive season. They were down 2 games to 1 in the best-of-five NL Division Series to the San Diego Padres
“I do think that if we didn’t win that game it would have become very noisy,’’ Roberts said early this spring. “ A team that was obviously super-talented to lose three years in a row in the first round, albeit it takes all of us to win and lose, but I do think that calls for my job would have been heightened.”
The Dodgers, having to rely on an eight-reliever bullpen game in Game 4, didn’t allow a run in the final two games. They wound up winning 10 of their last 13 postseason games and cruised to the World Series title in five games over the New York Yankees. They relied on only three starters and used four bullpen games throughout the postseason.
It was the Dodgers’ first World Series title in a full season since 1988, making Robers only the third Dodgers manager to win more multiple World Series’ titles.
“It’s interesting where you don’t win a series and you can feel calls for your job,’’ Roberts said in February. But you win the World Series and now people are saying you’re going to Cooperstown.”
The only active managers who have won multiple World Series titles are Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers (four) and Terry Francona (two), each who are considered locks for the Hall of Fame.
Roberts will be one of only seven managers this century who will have managed one team for at least 10 years, joining Mike Scioscia (2000-2018 with the Angels), Ron Gardenhire (2002-2014 with the Twins), Bochy (2007-2019 with the Giants), Joe Girardi (2008-2017 with the Yankees), Bob Melvin (2012-2021 with the A’s), Francona (2013-2023 with the Guardians), Kevin Cash 2015-2025 with the Rays).
The Dodgers, who had only two managers in 43 years with Alston and Lasorda from 1954-1996, now continue their tradition with Roberts.
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