Dodgers, Dave Roberts Make History With 4-Year Contract Extension

Valentina Martinez | Mar 10, 2025

Sep 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) walks to the mound in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

For much of his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dave Roberts was the recipient of much scrutiny for his managerial tactics. But heading into the 2025 season, he is now the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball.

On Monday, the Dodgers and Roberts agreed to a four-year contract extension, per MLB insider Jon Heyman. He will receive just over $8 million per year, which is a record average annual value for a manager. The Dodgers will make an official announcement in the coming days.

Roberts has two World Series titles and a Manager of the Year award on his resume. The Dodgers skipper has a .627 winning percentage in the regular season. The Dodgers have made the playoffs in every season Roberts has managed, winning eight division titles and four National League pennants.

Solely on paper, Roberts already had the requisites to sign a record-breaking contract extension.

However, the rapport Roberts has built with his players speaks volumes. Roberts showed the best version of himself during the Dodgers' 2024 World Series run. The Dodgers skipper was left with three starting pitchers in an injury-riddled rotation and an overtaxed bullpen.

And yet, Roberts deployed all the right pieces. He received much criticism from baseball analysts for his use of bullpen games throughout the NL Division Series and Championship Series, but his creative thinking helped the Dodgers win 11 games in October.

Roberts was under the hot seat heading into the NLDS, but the Dodgers evaded another first-round exit. The Dodgers skipper was notorious for making questionable pitching decisions in years past, but he further cemented his Hall of Fame ballot in World Series Game 5.

Blake Treinen was unexpectedly deployed from the bullpen in the sixth inning, and after he gave up a double to New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and a walk to Jazz Chisholm Jr, Roberts made a visit to the mound. To the surprise of many, Roberts didn’t make a pitching change, but instead took a few seconds to slow down the game for Treinen and left his best reliever in the game.

Another highlight from the 2024 season was Roberts' impromptu meeting in Atlanta soon after the Dodgers were informed ace Tyler Glasnow would be out for the remainder of the season. Many players cited the meeting as a turning point for the Dodgers, a team that had experienced a slew of injuries throughout the 2024 campaign.

"One meeting changed everything," Teoscar Hernandez said. "Then we realized that we have the potential, that we have the players, that we’re still the Dodgers and we can do special things with the people we have healthy throughout the year and just the opportunity to maintain the team until those guys were able to come back and keep helping the team win.”

The last generation of Dodgers fans were spoiled with Tommy Lasorda, and now this generation can further embrace Roberts as the next beloved L.A. skipper.

Roberts won't be saying goodbye to the Dodgers for some time, but he can certainly say hello to Cooperstown.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.