Dave Roberts and Dodgers making progress on contract: ‘We’re at the one-yard line’
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PHOENIX — Dave Roberts and the Dodgers are making progress on a new contract, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly, with an enhanced extension for the two-time World Series champion manager set to possibly be finalized before the end of the team’s spring training camp next week.
“We’re at the one-yard line,” Roberts said Friday. “Things are looking good. I’m optimistic. This is where I want to be, so I’m excited that things are getting done.”
Ever since the Dodgers’ championship last October, Roberts had been expected to receive a lucrative new deal — one perhaps rivaling the record five-year, $40-million contract the Chicago Cubs gave Craig Counsell last offseason to woo him away from the Milwaukee Brewers.
While it’s unclear whether Roberts’ new extension would match Counsell in number of years (he and the team were believed to have been discussing a four-year structure earlier this spring), the New York Post reported Thursday that discussions between the sides could yield a new high-mark for annual average value, likely to top Counsell’s $8-million yearly salary.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is not publicly committing to any timeline for Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound for the Dodgers.
Roberts, 52, is entering his 10th season with the Dodgers, and last before his current deal expires at the end of the year.
During his tenure with the club, he has become one of the most accomplished managers in MLB history.
In addition to the team’s 2020 and 2024 World Series victories — the club’s first titles since 1988 — Roberts has won four National League pennants, eight NL West division crowns, a Manager of the Year award in 2016 and more games than any of his peers since replacing Don Mattingly at the end of the 2015 season.
With a career regular-season record of 851-507, Roberts’ .627 winning percentage is highest in MLB history among all non-Negro Leagues managers. His 56 postseason victories rank sixth all-time, trailing only Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers among active managers by one.
Roberts and the Dodgers have been discussing a new contract since before the start of spring training. Roberts said last month he was optimistic of having a new contract in place before the team breaks camp at the end of next Wednesday.
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