Dodgers part with hitting coach after 12 years under bizarre circumstances

Los Angeles Dodgers fans have been discontented with hitting coach tandem Aaron Bates and Robert Van Scyoc for some time, pointing especially to LA's longstanding struggle wth hitting in high leverage that persists regardless of how much the roster changes. But the Dodgers have clearly not shared that discontentment.

Bates is a longtime member of the Dodgers organization and was promoted to co-hitting coach ahead of the 2023 season. Van Scyoc has been in the role since 2019.

At their post-season press conference, Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes said that they didn't anticipate any major changes to the coaching staff this offseason, but clearly, life got in the way.

On Friday, Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors reported the Dodgers would be parting ways with Bates. "The Dodgers offered Bates a multiyear contract to stay," Dierkes wrote, "but the two sides couldn’t agree to terms."

Dodgers insiders Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya corroborated the report, noting that the news was a surprise after Friedman's "status quo" proclamation. Fans have received the news positively, but we'd be remiss not to note that there's something funny about the Dodgers and their unlimited wealth being unwilling to pay their long-tenured hitting coach despite initially intending to retain him.

Dodgers part ways with hitting coach Aaron Bates over disagreement on a new contract

We can only speculate on the exact nature of the disagreement, but with the Dodgers' offensive failures in the postseason and most of the second-half as a backdrop for this departure, LA clearly wasn't willing to pay him what he thought he was owed after over a decade in the organization.

Neither Woo or Ardaya provide an intel on whether or not the Dodgers plan to replace him or to stick with Van Scyoc as their sole hitting coach, but they have options as teams across the league shuffle their coaching staffs, or they could promote internally.

Perhaps they could tempt former Dodger JD Martinez away from the New York Mets, where he was a special advisor in the front office starting in 2026. After all, Martinez has been credited for Mookie Betts' offensive turnaround in 2025 and already has a relationship with the team.

Regardless, Dodgers fans aren't mourning the loss of Bates, who should be able to find a new home easily. In fact, many of them are calling Van Scyoc's head next — but we wouldn't get our hopes up for that.

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