The Los Angeles Dodgers have spared no expense this winter buying expertise, however the crew will possible spend a substantial sum of money on supervisor Dave Roberts’ contract extension.
On the Baseball Tonight podcast, Roberts revealed the contract negotiations with the Dodgers have begun.
“We’ve simply began speaking,” Roberts informed ESPN’s Buster Olney. “I’m hopeful, however I’m targeted on successful video games. I need to deal with getting higher as a supervisor, getting our guys ready for Opening Day, for this nice season, to win one other championship. Hopefully, every part takes care of itself. It’s about worth and I simply love this group.”
Final month, normal supervisor Brandon Gomes mentioned the discernible: The Dodgers need Roberts in L.A.
“It’s one thing we’re going to handle right here within the coming weeks,” mentioned Dodgers normal supervisor Brandon Gomes on The New York Publish’s The Present podcast this week. “We would like Dave right here. He’s been unimaginable.”
Roberts is coming off his ninth yr managing the L.A. group, which resulted in his ninth consecutive postseason look and second World Collection title. He’s the winningest supervisor in MLB with a .627 clip, indicating there isn’t any skipper higher than Roberts within the common season.
Roberts has overseen 5 100-win seasons with the Dodgers, whereas solely Joe McCarthy and Bobby Cox have extra. However the strain to win is at all times there, and it was solely when Roberts received his second championship with the Dodgers that his critics seemed to be silenced.
He pulled all the appropriate levers all through the postseason, and in contrast to many seasons prior, the Dodgers skipper didn’t have a wholesome crew. Roberts needed to work with three beginning pitchers and an overworked bullpen. He needed to deploy all the appropriate gamers to assist the Dodgers recover from their postseason hump.
The pitching employees was the Dodgers’ weak spot heading into October, however managed to maintain the San Diego Padres scoreless for twenty-four consecutive innings within the NLDS.
“I believed he was surgical in Recreation 4 and Recreation 5,” mentioned Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “I believed he had the appropriate really feel and pulse for when to make a transfer, who to go to — and even with that, [Alex Vesia] had the soreness within the indirect and he didn’t miss a beat.”
Though the Dodgers have left their tattered postseason popularity prior to now, Roberts can be tasked with managing probably the greatest rosters within the historical past of baseball.
Photograph Credit score: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Photographs
