After the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, the question wasn’t if the team planned to extend Dave Roberts but rather how much money they would give him.
Although LA’s trip through the postseason was rocky at times and by no means perfect, Roberts is still one of the winningest managers in franchise history and the winningest active manager with a minimum of 1,000 games.
It stood to reason that he would break Craig Counsell’s record four-year, $40 million deal with the Cubs on a new deal in LA, especially given how much money the Dodgers doled out to players this offseason.
Last week, Roberts said that talks on an extension were at the “one-yard line,” and both parties wanted to hammer something out before the team headed to Tokyo on March 15.
On Monday, they were reportedly in agreement on a four-year, $32.4 million deal ($8.1 million a year barely surpasses Counsell’s milestone contract) starting in 2026, as his current extension covers him through the 2025 season.
Dodgers, Dave Roberts reportedly in agreement on a four-year, $32.4 million extension
Roberts also has the second most World Series wins of any active manager behind only Bruce Bochy with three — though, Roberts’ first came as a rostered member of the storied 2004 Boston Red Sox.
His second managerial win with the Dodgers in 2024 saw him tie Tommy Lasorda and move within two titles of Hall of Fame skipper Walter Alston, who currently holds the franchise record.
Through nine seasons as the Dodgers’ manager, Roberts has a .627 winning percentage and leads the pack in playoff appearances and playoff wins.
Like any manager, Roberts’ track record isn’t spotless — the Dodgers were dangerously close to getting kicked out of the postseason early once again in 2024 — but their ultimate Fall Classic win put him firmly in Hall of Fame contention and was clear evidence that the Dodgers should treat him as such when working on a new deal.
Roberts said earlier in the offseason that he wanted to “feel [his] value” in extension negotiations. The front office getting him across the line to exceed Counsell’s deal, even if it’s just by a hair, sure makes it seem like they value him a lot.
