The Los Angeles Dodgers have repositioned themselves to deliver one more record-breaking contract during spring training. This time manager Dave Roberts is due to become the recipient.
The two-time World Series winning skipper and the franchise “have made strong strides” toward agreeing on an extension, per MLB Network insider Joel Sherman Thursday. Roberts is topping the managerial annual value record, Sherman said. The Dodgers and Roberts are moving quickly too.
Sherman revealed next Wednesday as the deadline for the deal. Which means Roberts will have his new contract before the Dodgers board the plane for Tokyo.
The insider and baseball columnist for the New York Post included a brief snippet from a conversation with general manager Brandon Gomes. The Dodgers GM revealed conversations have gone “really good” between the team and Roberts.
Who Dave Roberts beats out with new Dodgers contract
Ironically, Roberts will soon stand in the opposite dugout of the current highest-paid manager.
Chicago Cubs skipper Craig Counsell signed a five-year, $40 million deal with the team. Counsell earns $8 million annually, the largest such annual salary for an MLB manager. The Cubs happen to be the defending World Champions’ Tokyo Series opponent come March 18.
Again, terms for Roberts’ upcoming deal are still too be determined. But it’s looking likely he’ll hit $9 million a year or higher.
The Dodgers have shown to become unafraid to drop wads of cash on the faces of their franchise. Los Angeles handed Shohei Ohtani a whopping 10-year, $700 million deal one year ago before the 2024 season. Ohtani eventually helped guide the Dodgers to their second World Series title since 2020.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers signed Blake Snell to a mega five-year, $182 million deal featuring a $52 million signing bonus this offseason. Tyler Glasnow agreed to his own five-year contract — which reached $136.5 million and brings him an annual salary of $27.3 million.
The 52-year-old Roberts is entering his 10th season with the Dodgers. He’s 149 regular season victories away from hitting 1,000 career wins.
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