Aaron Bates’ explanation for exit makes it obvious Dodgers forced him out after recent hire

After getting throttled by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, we knew changes would be coming to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Everyone, from players to coaches to front office analysts, were expected to be scrutinized under the microscope as the franchise attempted to bounce back from their failed three-peat attempt.

One of the more high-profile changes fans should be aware of is on the coaching staff: Aaron Bates has walked away from his post as the team's hitting coach, a job the Dodgers have swiftly filled with former Marlins hitting coach Pedro Guerrero.

This whole saga has lasted less than a week, but it's hard not to draw some obvious conclusions after Bates was seemingly forced out following the Dodgers' playoff elimination.

Dodgers swiftly hiring new hitting coach made intentions clear with Aaron Bates

Guerrero is a well-respected name in coaching circles aroud the league, originally getting his start in the lower levels of the Dodgers' system about a decade ago. He's since moved on to notable offense-related positions with the Giants and Phillies, eventually getting the top hitting coach job with the Marlins prior to the 2025 season.

His voice should be a strong and influential one in Los Angeles, though the jump from working with a young, unproven lineup in Miami to the Dodgers' star-studded cast will require an adjustment period. Still, it's telling that the club hired him so quickly after moving on from Bates — they clearly like what Guerrero brings to the table and probably had an idea he'd be their next target.

What shouldn't get lost, however, is the other part of that sentence: just how quickly they moved on from Bates. The now-former hitting coach explained last week that he rejected the Dodgers' initial multi-year extension offer, calling it "non-competitive" for a top job in the big leagues. Bates expected negotiations to continue from that point forward, but he says that the organization opted to move on following that first exchange. The Dodgers? With all the money in the world? Halting negotiations with a hitting coach?

Seeing how quickly they pivoted to Guerrero is kind of like pulling the curtain that reveals the Wizard of Oz; the truth seems as if this was always the Dodgers' plan. Low-balling Bates essentially gives the team plausible deniability, as they can now claim that they at least "tried" to retain him before hiring someone else. In reality, the front office probably knew they were ready to move on from the moment they got eliminated and they just had to try and save face with a coach who has been in the organization since 2015.

It remains to be seen if the shift from Bates to Guerrero pans out for the Dodgers, but this is clearly a move they've had in the works for some time. We can only hope that a new voice in the batting cages proves to be exactly what this offense needs.

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