Dave Roberts, Dodgers reportedly closer to agreement on record-breaking contract

Dave Roberts would've had a serious problem on his hands if the Dodgers had been bumped in the NLDS last year — again. Not only would it have been an awful look for the team and provide even more firepower to everyone who loved to call them chokers, Roberts very well could've found himself out of a job. He even admitted to being afraid of that possibility when the Padres had the Dodgers' backs to the wall with a series lead after Game 3.

But then the Padres totally lost steam, and the Dodgers slingshotted all the way to winning the World Series. Criticism of Roberts, even if it was valid, became sort of null and void.

And the narrative shifted. Instead of wondering if he'd get the boot, the question was how much he would be paid with a contract extension. Craig Counsell's five-year, $40 million deal with the Cubs set a new benchmark in baseball, but Roberts' new deal was almost immediately predicted to break through that ceiling.

On Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that talks between Roberts and the Dodgers had intensified in recent weeks, and an agreement on a record-breaking deal is expected to be reached ahead of the Tokyo Series starting on March 18 (subscription required).

Dodgers Rumors: Dave Roberts expected to receive record-breaking contract

Roberts has fielded questions about progress on his contract extension basically since the beginning of the offseason, and he even hinted at potential disagreement between himself and club in the early days, saying, "Hopefully, everything takes care of itself. But it’s about value. And I love this organization, but yeah, you want to feel your value. Absolutely."

It'd be pretty indefensible if the Dodgers didn't want to pay their two-time World Series-winning manager after committing $300 million+ to players in the offseason (and $1 billion the offseason prior). Sherman's report also questioned how much managers matter, but Roberts' performance throughout the postseason made it pretty clear that they do. The Dodgers were performing a highwire act with their pitching staff especially, and even though basically throwing Game 4 of the World Series was a questionable decision at the time, it let the Dodgers "save the dogs" for Game 5.

The full details of managers' deals aren't always disclosed, but we'll certainly hear about whether or not Roberts surpasses Counsell, and news should come any day now.