Dodgers' Dave Roberts Opens Up About Retirement Timeline

Connie Mack has been responsible for more wins as a manager than anyone in baseball history. A catcher for two National League teams from 1886-96, Mack took his first managerial gig with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1897. Four years later, Mack took over as the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, a job he held until 1950.

Dave Roberts isn't interested in challenging Mack's all-time record of 3,731 victories. Mack was famously also a part-owner of the team, ensuring his longevity as a manager. If Roberts is interested in buying the Dodgers, he hasn't said so publicly (and he should probably ask for a raise).

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Roberts isn't even sure if he wants to manage beyond the end of his current contract.

Roberts recently told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he’s not sure what his plan is after the 2029 season.

“I think at that point in time it'll be more of a year-to-year type thing," Roberts told Nightengale. "It’s been a great 10 years here, but we’ll see where we’re at in four more years.

“The world is going to look a lot different, I'm sure."

Roberts has the Dodgers chasing down another World Series title this month, their third in six years. He has managed the team to 944 regular season wins, and his .621 winning percentage is the best ever by an American or National League manager.

If Roberts maintains that pace for another five seasons, he'll have 1,447 wins — just behind Hall of Famer Earl Weaver for 27th place on the all-time list. Throw in another championship along the way, and Roberts can surely count on seeing his own bronzed plaque in Cooperstown someday.

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Four years means it's probably too soon to think about who might replace Roberts, or even take stock of the totality of his tenure in Los Angeles.

It's not too early to appreciate the unlikelihood of an active manager being able to write the ending to his own career. No one has managed their current team longer than Roberts, who was appointed successor to Don Mattingly after the 2015 season.

Roberts had managed only one major league game to that point, when the San Diego Padres fired Bud Black midway through the 2015 season. Rather than retain Roberts for the remainder of the season after he managed a 9-1 loss to the Oakland A's at Petco Park, the Padres gave the interim job to Pat Murphy instead.

The rest is history. While other, more experienced managers have come and gone, none have outlasted Roberts in Los Angeles. The Padres alone have cycled through six managers, starting with Murphy, since they decided not to retain Roberts.

Every manager receives more criticism than praise. It's the nature of the job. But it isn't too soon to appreciate Roberts' unique longevity with one team, however long it lasts.

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