Dodgers sign Dave Roberts to extension after speculative offseason

Dave Roberts will be steering the ship for the Los Angeles Dodgers beyond 2022. On Friday, the two sides came to an agreement on a three-year extension, which will keep him in town through the 2025 season, assuming all goes well.

This deal comes after the front office handled the up-in-the-air personnel decisions that were impacted by the MLB lockout, but many still wondered why there wasn’t as much urgency to get a deal done with Roberts sooner.

During the lockout, the Dodgers were only prohibited from speaking with players on the 40-man roster and were free to negotiate with other employees within the organization. The relative silence, outside of Roberts’ assurance that a deal would get done, was certainly odd because this scenario was not among the restraints the Dodgers were facing.

Nonetheless, two weeks before Opening Day, it’s settled. Roberts will not be a lame duck skipper, as many predicted, and all those who aren’t supportive of the World Series champ are going to have to figure out a way to cope with this.

Dave Roberts has signed a contract extension with the Dodgers

Arguably the most successful manager in Dodgers franchise history, Roberts has remained a polarizing figure for some of his in-game decisions, particularly with his bullpen management. Then again, fans of the Dodgers know he’s aligned with the front office’s vision, so it’s clear not everything is up to him. A lot of the information/decision making is believed to come from the top.

That doesn’t mean it’s not used against him, though … despite the fact he has a .622 winning percentage while holding this position of power, in addition to three NL pennants and a World Series victory (which ended a 32-year drought).

If not for back-breaking injuries and a once-in-a-lifetime 107-win campaign from the San Francisco Giants in 2021, the Dodgers might’ve been able to go the distance again, but Roberts had dwindling resources as the competition increased once the season hit October.

Dodgers fans are about to witness (potentially) a full decade of Roberts at the helm, which speaks to his consistency, success, and ability to build relationships with his players and assistants. Remember that next time you’re thinking about going on a tirade because of a bullpen decision you didn’t agree with.

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