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5 potential replacements if the Dodgers move on from manager Dave Roberts
You never know. If the Dodgers disappoint again in 2023, Roberts could be considered a scapegoat.
The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in unfamiliar territory at the moment as they currently are down two games in the NLDS and on the verge of being bounced early from the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Not all the news is bad in LA, though. They still have one of the best offenses in baseball currently being led by perennial MVP candidates Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Their run differential is still among the leaders in the National League despite having a steady run of injuries to key players. In many ways, it just seems like the Dodgers' current position is more a function of some bad luck and the Diamondbacks playing out of their minds than anything else.
However, that doesn't change the reality that expectations are sky high for the Dodgers (just like every other year) and a team that's on track for an early playoff exit falls short of those expectations. If the trend continues, there will be more whispers about the future of Roberts as the Dodgers' manager because, well, managers are the easy fall guys.
Is it Roberts' fault that the team didn't spend more last offseason? Nope. Is it on the manager to somehow be able to predict and prevent injuries across the roster? A little bit if we are talking about overuse, but mostly nope. However, we have seen time and time again that guys lose jobs as victims of circumstance. While Roberts has built up some measure of goodwill over the last few years, he isn't overly lauded for his managerial skills to keep him out of larger philosophical changes if the Dodgers were to pursue that path later on.
It's pretty clear that there's next to no chance the Dodgers would ever make a change at manager midseason unless something very severe happened. This is still a good baseball team and such a move wouldn't make much sense -- it'd probably be more disruptive than anything.
Who could replace Dave Roberts if the Dodgers decided to fire him?
However, lets pretend for a moment that the Dodgers finish the season with 90 wins or so and either don't make the playoffs or get eliminated early, which is very much a possibility this season. In that world, an honest accounting of what Roberts brings to the table as a manager may reveal that a different voice in the dugout could be needed.
If that were to happen, here are some candidates to keep an eye on to take over for Roberts if the Dodgers decide to move on from him.
Kai Correa - Giants Bench Coach
It would be easy to start with a candidate within the Dodgers organization because if something crazy were to happen during the season, that's the most likely course the team would take. However, for this exercise we will look at external options.
For starters, what would be more satisfying than prying away bench coach Kai Correa from the division-rival Giants?
Correa is already well-versed in advanced metrics and is familiar with how data is communicated to the clubhouse in a way that can turn into actual gameplans which is arguably the hardest part of the job. Correa is also an excellent defensive coach, which is particularly useful in a world where teams can no longer shift their inadequacies away. He is younger and less experienced than some of the other candidates, but is generally highly regarded around the league.
If the Dodgers do decide to make a change at manager, they are going to want to act quickly when the season ends as Correa has already been mentioned as a managerial candidate and could be in line for a promotion right now after the Giants fired Gabe Kapler. Before too long, he is going to get a skipper job somewhere and it may be as soon as after the 2023 season.
Walt Weiss - Braves Bench Coach
Weiss is an interesting option as he brings some old school chops and also comes from a Braves organization that has done very well in marrying traditional know-how and advanced data. Weiss also has the added benefit of actual managerial experience under his belt. While his time with the Colorado Rockies from 2013-2016 didn’t go particularly well, Colorado is a place where hopes and dreams go to die, so we won’t hold that against him too much.
Ultimately, the question is whether or not Weiss would even be interested. He has been connected to recent managerial openings, including the Marlins, but he declined a request for an interview. It's possible that his experience with the Rockies makes him hesitant to take any manager job, or that he's very content in Atlanta and would only leave for a premier situation. If it's the latter, the Dodgers fit the bill.
It's worth noting that Braves manager Brian Snitker isn't a spring chicken, and if he were to retire in the next few years, Weiss could be the Braves' next manager in waiting. If that's actually the case, Weiss may be hard to pry away altogether.
George Lombard - Tigers Bench Coach
Former Dodgers first base coach and current Tigers bench coach George Lombard has a pretty strong case for a top managerial job like the Dodgers. He has experience in successful analytics-forward organizations, but is also a former player who is very adept at coaching and relating to young guys. Having that mix of experience is basically a must in the modern game of baseball.
Lombard is a known commodity around baseball, and once we get to the offseason it's highly likely that teams with managerial vacancies are going to come knocking. He already interviewed for the Tigers’ manager opening that ultimately went to AJ Hinch, so he also clearly has aspirations of being a skipper. The only real question is whether or not his previous experience with the Dodgers helped or hurt the cause of him returning, although there didn't seem to be too many hard feelings at the time.
Tony Mansolino - Orioles Third Base Coach
It's weird to be looking at any coach from the Baltimore Orioles given how bad they were for such a long time, but here we are. While Mansolino doesn't have the most major league experience when it comes to being a coach, his dad was a big league coach with several teams and he has extensive experience as a manager in the minor leagues. That sort of experience in player development is really, really helpful, especially for a team like the Dodgers that's going to have a bit of a youth movement in the coming years.
The issue with a guy like Mansolino is that if the Dodgers are going to move on from an established, known quantity like Roberts, they're probably going to want to be more risk-averse with his replacement. An experienced big league coach is likely to have the upper hand, especially if they come from an organization with a track record of winning.
Don’t get us wrong: the Orioles are a really, really fun story this year and could end up being awesome for a long time. However, the Dodgers are right in the middle of their competitive window and may want someone more established. Those sorts of guys are in short supply, though, and Mansolino seems like a guy whose star is on the rise. Plus, that "we need a guy who has been there before" thinking is how Tony LaRussa ended up managing the White Sox, and LA definitely doesn't want a situation like that.
Rodney Linares - Rays Bench Coach
It isn’t a managerial candidates list without mentioning someone with the Tampa Bay Rays, so Rodney Linares gets the nod here among the several available and viable options.
Linares has extensive (and successful) experience as a minor league manager with the Astros before joining the Rays as their third base coach after the 2018 season. He would later go on to get promoted to being the Rays' bench coach for this season after Matt Quatraro got hired to manage the Royals.
Coming from two of the better data-forward teams in baseball has a lot of benefits, and one of the biggest is that those teams know how to use data effectively in actual game-planning. Baseball is still played on the field and that means players need to have information taken and turned into a form they understand, believe in, and can execute. Not having a ton of experience dealing with larger media markets like LA is a downside, but that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.
Linares is only 45 years old, but still has a ton of experience helping players young and old get with the program, develop, and improve. Having long-lasting connections with players in Latin America, including managing in the Dominican Winter League and the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in 2023 certainly doesn’t hurt his case, either. Being able to relate to players who may not speak English as their primary language is a point in his favor as well.
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