REPORT NEWS: Cubs’ Craig Counsell, Dodgers’ Dave Roberts weigh in on value of a top manager — and each other

There’s a conceit among some around baseball that managers don’t have much impact on winning and losing. Clearly, however, the Dodgers and especially the Cubs have taken the opposite position.

Dodgers Cubs Baseball

Dave Roberts was toast.

Out the window. Kicked to the curb. Yesterday’s news.

Well, almost.

Had Robert’s 98-win Dodgers lost one more game to the 93-win Padres in the National League Division Series last season, one of the most successful managers of his era almost certainly would have been fired.

Instead, the Dodgers took the last two games of that series en route to their second World Series championship under Roberts, who was rewarded in the offseason with a four-year extension worth $8.1 million annually.

That about doubled his salary and made him the highest-paid manager ever — by a skosh — besting the Cubs’ Craig Counsell’s $8 million per year.

Talk about a fortunate turn.

But that’s the high-wire act that is managing the most talented baseball team on the planet.

Roberts, in his 10th season, never has missed the playoffs. He has gotten to the World Series four times.

The career winning percentage of .628 he brought to Wrigley Field for a two-game series starting Tuesday against Counsell’s Cubs ranked fourth all-time and put him miles ahead of the Yankees’ Aaron Boone, who’s next among active managers at .585. Of the top 14 managers all-time in winning percentage, Roberts is the only one who has been active since — are you ready for this? — 1951.

But that hot seat, right?

Anybody would win big with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, right?

There’s a conceit among baseball writers and analytics nerds everywhere that baseball managers don’t have much impact on winning and losing.

That the best skippers are good for some extra ‘‘W’s,’’ sure, but you probably can count them on one hand over 162 games. That Roberts and Counsell are no different from Bruce Bochy, Terry Francona or anyone else held in high regard.

Clearly, however, the Dodgers and especially the Cubs have taken the opposite position.

By throwing $40 million at Counsell, Cubs president Jed Hoyer staked his very reputation on a managerial hire.

Were they wrong?

‘‘Baseball is a world where everything is quantified,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We want objective information. It’s turned into that, right? And the manager’s job is still a job that we haven’t found a great way to do that with, with their decisions and everything else.

‘‘It’s also very much a people job, so how do you figure that part out? I think that’s what baseball wants to do. It’s a numbers game, and we want to put numbers to everything, and there’s not for this.’’

Roberts pushed back on this topic more directly.

‘‘The most important people — the players — know the value of the manager,’’ he said, ‘‘and I’m just glad our guys value me, as well.’’

Roberts has been NL Manager of the Year only once — in 2016, his first go-round — and at times has felt dismissed by some around the game.

It has a bit of a familiar ring to it: a winning Los Angeles coach who’s taken by some as being more lucky than anything else.

It was easy for the Lakers’ Phil Jackson to win titles with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, that conceit went, much as it had been in Chicago with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

But Jackson won 11 rings. Roberts is winning games at a clip not seen since the Truman administration.

‘‘I do feel [dismissed],’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve got one Manager of the Year award, where I felt last year I did my best job of managing. It kind of comes with the territory when you manage a club like the Dodgers.

‘‘But it’s like this: If you take Apple or Google or Microsoft, the great companies annually, they do excellent things to continue to maintain excellence. So I pride myself and our organization on being consistently great. If you don’t win the world championship, then you’ve had a failure of a season? It’s not true. It doesn’t mean you’re not still a great leader of people.’’

Craig Counsell

Cubs manager Craig CounsellNam Y. Huh/AP Photos

Roberts and Counsell are big fans of each other’s work.

‘‘Dave’s job has been to take great expectations and not let the train get off the tracks,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘You probably don’t know about all the situations where the train almost came off the tracks and Dave kept them on the tracks. That’s managing an organization, and I think he’s done an incredible job of that.’’

Said Roberts: ‘‘I personally admire Craig and his consistency of mind and preparation and attitude and respect that he has in the game. He’s a person I certainly look toward in how he goes about it. I think he’s a great manager.’’

Worth all that big bread, too?

‘‘I certainly hope so,’’ Roberts said.

‘‘A baseball manager is hard to be quantified; it’s hard to put a value on it. But when you’re talking about how you manage player workload, pitcher usage, to potentially win one game and then another and to get through 162, that certainly has the manager’s fingerprints all over it.’’

Related Posts

⚡ METS LEGEND ALERT: The 2026 Mets Hall of Fame class shocks fans with Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Valentine, and Lee Mazzilli earning their spot, whispers suggest this trio could redefine the franchise’s storied history, and every announcement sparks debate over the legends who shaped New York baseball..ll

Mets Announce 2026 Hall of Fame Class: Beltrán, Valentine, and Mazzilli to Be Inducted New York – The New York Mets have officially announced that the 2026…

⚡ METS POWER ALERT: Juan Soto stuns fans by publicly urging the team to keep Pete Alonso next season and beyond, whispers suggest their chemistry could redefine the lineup, and every moment together in a Mets uniform promises fireworks and unforgettable highlights..ll

Juan Soto Hopes to See Pete Alonso Stay with the Mets for Seasons to Come New York – Star outfielder Juan Soto recently expressed his hope to…

⚡ METS NEXT GEN: Carson Benge shocks the system as he earns a major league spring training invite, whispers hint he could crack the big-league roster this season, and every scout and insider is watching closely as the young phenom steps onto the stage that could define his career..ll

LAS VEGAS — Carson Benge didn’t arrive in Triple-A until late last season, but the Mets think highly enough of the outfield prospect to consider him a…

⚡ METS MADNESS: Jeff McNeil sparks a frenzy as trade whispers flood the league, insiders hint at blockbuster offers brewing behind closed doors, and the team teeters on the edge of a decision that could reshape the roster and send shockwaves across MLB..ll

The Mets are fielding trade inquiries on Jeff McNeil, and with just one year left on his overpriced contract, there’s interest among other clubs.

⚡ COLE COMEBACK: Gerrit Cole’s return to a mentor role shakes the Yankees clubhouse as whispers hint at veteran wisdom reshaping the team, his Lou Gehrig honor fuels speculation over leadership moves, and every decision now feels charged with legacy-defining stakes..ll

Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees sounded ready to return at the ALS United Greater New York Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala.

⚡ JUDGE SHOCKWAVE: Aaron Judge stuns the baseball world by turning down the AL MVP, whispers erupt over the audacious gesture honoring Gerrit Cole, and the league reels as debates ignite over sportsmanship, legacy, and the true measure of greatness..ll

Article