How Much Will Dodgers Pay Dave Roberts in Contract Extension? Former GM Guesses

Extensions for managers are typically wrapped up before spring training, and if there’s one manager who deserves an extension, it’s Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers have been busy with contracts this offseason, totaling just over $375 million. This includes major commitments like $182 million for Blake Snell, $72 million for Tanner Scott, $66 million for Teoscar Hernández, $22 million for Blake Treinen, $17 million for Michael Conforto, $12.5 million for Hyeseong Kim, and over $6.5 million for Roki Sasaki.

This doesn't even include Kirby Yates, who has reportedly agreed to terms, but the Dodgers still need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster before signing him.

Roberts has known the extension talks are coming but he told the front office he wanted to wait until the roster was solidified.

"We've talked to him, like, 'Hey, let's get our team in a good place, and then we're going to sit down and talk,'" general manager Brandon Gomes said at the Winter Meetings in Dallas in December. "So the expectation is, let's get through all of this player stuff, and then we can have conversations."

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Now that the roster is mostly set, the focus should shift to extending Roberts. Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes that Roberts' new deal will set a record.

"In my opinion, he needs to be paid more than the $66 million that Hernández got and the $72 million that Scott received," Bowden wrote. "A 10-year contract in the $80 million range would be appropriate, and if the Dodgers want to defer a big chunk of it, as they’re known to do, that would only help Roberts in his post-managing days."

In Roberts' nine years as manager, he has guided the Dodgers to an 851-506 regular season record. His .627 career-winning percentage ranks as the highest of any manager with at least 1,000 games. He has also led the Dodgers to two World Series titles.

Roberts earned Manager of the Year honors in 2016, his inaugural season with the Dodgers. Since then, he has received votes every year, including three third-place votes in 2024, and has finished second twice, though he has not won the award again.

Roberts is currently signed through 2025, but as Bowden notes, his next contract extension is expected to surpass the current manager record set by Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million deal with the Cubs in 2023.

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