The Dodgers announced that they’ve reached an agreement with manager Dave Roberts on a contract extension that runs through the 2022 season. Los Angeles had previously exercised Roberts’ option for the 2019 season, but he’ll now be under contract for an additional three guaranteed season. That it was announced as a four-year contract may indicate that Roberts was also given a raise for the upcoming season.
“Keeping Doc as our leader on the field was a top priority this offseason and now that we’ve accomplished that we are excited to collectively shift all of our focus to doing all we can to bring a World Championship to our passionate fans,” said president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in a statement announcing the move.
Since Roberts was hired in the 2015-16 offseason, the Dodgers have gone 287-199 in regular-season play, won three NL West Division titles and won two National League pennants en route to consecutive World Series appearances. Despite the glowing results, Roberts has drawn the ire of some Dodgers fans — as is the case with most postseason managers who ultimately fall short — particularly with regard to bullpen management and a rather rigid reliance on platoon-based lineup construction. Of course, it’s easy to zero in on relatively isolated incidents in a short series and lay blame on any manager when those moves don’t work out. Sticking with Enrique Hernandez throughout a prolonged slump in the postseason, for instance, was a particular point of contention among Dodger fans, but Roberts was surely more focused on Hernandez’s generally strong numbers against lefties over a much larger sample.
Regardless of which side of that type of issue on takes, it’s tough to dispute Roberts’ results in terms of the team’s performance in getting to the World Series in two straight years. While he undeniably had plenty of star power on his side, Roberts also at times had to lean heavily on rookies and relative unknowns while dealing with injuries to high-profile talent. Clayton Kershaw has missed time in each of the past three seasons. Corey Seager was a non-factor in 2018 due to Tommy John surgery early in the year. Players like Chris Taylor, Max Muncy and Ross Stripling have emerged from obscurity to play prominent roles in the team’s success, while veterans such as Brandon Morrow and Matt Kemp have enjoyed career renaissances in L.A. in recent seasons.
To that end, Roberts has also done well to manage what has, at times, felt like an overcrowded roster — one with numerous high-profile players who have been accustomed to much larger roles than they found on a deep Dodgers roster. By all accounts, Roberts has done well to maintain a strong clubhouse environment and to get veteran players to buy into more limited roles with an eye toward the bigger picture. That’s no small task, and while a pair of crushing World Series losses has made Roberts a polarizing figure for Dodgers faithful, the front office is clearly more than confident that he’s the right person to return the Dodgers to another Fall Classic and take care of unfinished business.
“When I was hired to lead this team three years ago, I said at the time that managing the Dodgers is truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I feel the exact same way today,” said Roberts in a statement of his own. “We’ve worked hard to develop a team and culture that will put us in position to win the World Series every season, but we still have yet to achieve our ultimate goal and that is what drives me each day. I want to thank Andrew, Stan Kasten and our outstanding ownership group for believing in me and keeping me in Dodger Blue, a uniform I’m so proud to wear.”
good news for all other contending teams! thanks, LA!
Yes, and Kershaw back. Only thing he ever did right was not start Kershaw in game 1.
Yeah the NL contenders over the last 2 years really took advantage of Dave
I don’t even know why they have a manager anyone could lead that team.
It’s amazing how ignorant some fans are. Roberts is an above-average manager who’s created a good clubhouse environment in LA. Team chemistry means a lot more than you might think, if I’m a dodgers fan I’d be excited about this move. It’s not Roberts fault that the Dodgers FO wants to only dumpster dive for bullpen arms and thus create a mediocre bullpen.
Bullpens not mediocre, just not a super pen like some teams
Statistically the Dodgers had the third best bullpen in their division.
Statistically their bullpen gave up no runs in the division series and outdueld the Brewers super pen in the LCS
Dave “Buffalo Bill” Roberts is back!
Great news for whomever plays the Dodgers in the postseason!
Third time’s the charm ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Too bad I cant downvote twice.
Your profile picture is the single greatest thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you.
Pretty lame I think.
Been trying hard to ignore him… Not as lame as his 8 shill accts ;-)
Thank you, MYRS
Love it
with the 3rd comment
Glad to hear this.
Glad to hear this as a fan of team that isn’t the Dodgers! Thanks LA!
I think they’re making a mistake keeping this fella around. all the man ever did was steal second base back in 2004.
But, if there was reply he would have been out on the pickoff at 1st prior.
I just don’t understand their reasoning
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Says the bandwagon fan
Yet another name change for ey…
I like how everybody thinks they’re smarter than the guy who has got his team to back to back World Series.
Any team could win the world series if they just came to these comments for advice.
I agree.
I dunno man. The back to back Jays did it with Cito. I mean, those teams were pretty much auto pilot.
please. with that payroll, and the “we can acquire anyone we want mentality” anyone could do it.
Then why didn’t they? Any team should be able to afford a payroll that’s under the luxury tax like the Dodgers did last season.
Have you seen that roster…
JD, This is a results-oriented business. Roberts gifted back-to-back WS victories for Houston and Boston. Was WS MVP for both opponents in 2017 and 2018 WS IMO
Fire all managers except the one that wins the world series?
Disagree. Roberts “gifted” the WS to the Astros, without a doubt. Red Sox appeared to be the better team but don’t get me started on the Rich Hill fiasco.
Doc?
baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberda07.shtml
Yes, his nickname
Did not know that. Now if I he and I ever pass each other on the way out of a Dunkin, I’ll have the proper nomenclature to be quick and respectable in greeting him.
That’s a lame nickname, as it does nothing to describe his character, and is based only on his initials.
“Doc” Medich was actually a doctor; now that’s pretty cool.
Medich famous for being the pitcher Rickey stole his 119th and record breaking base off of in his 130 steal season. Ted Simmons and Robin Yount for those who want the entire list of victims on that steal of second.
Cool fact thanks.
Lot of people surprised when you tell them who left fielder was who watched #715 by Henry Aaron sail over his head.
Indeed. As a Dodger fan I can see Buckner climbing the fence looking more like a kid after a homerun ball than trying to prevent a run.
And 12 years later he becomes a goat because Stapleton wasn’t brought in for defensive measures.
First game ever at Yankee Stadium I saw was Downing vs Earl Wilson.
Roberts should use Buehler like the Giants used Madbum in the playoffs. I doubt they make it to a world series a third straight time tho.
You people are brutal. So your saying they made the WS twice in spite of Roberts? How many WS appearances did Mattingly and Torre take the team to? The object of course is to win but you have to be in it to have a chance at winning it.
Agree 100%. I’m a Giants fan but it’s hard not to like Roberts. He’s a class act and not because he played for SF. I was a fan when he played for Boston. I also happen to think he’s a good manager too. How did the previous managers work with Puig and get him to calm down his BS? Roberts managed to get him to calm down at least a little.
Management sending Puig to the minors curbed his antics.
Perhaps it was maturity too but a manager certainly has impact
You don’t think Roberts had anything to do with that? I feel like he would have.
predicting here that Puig will regress next year, hopefully on a team other than the Dodgers…
If Dave we’re making the call he’d take himself out too soon.
Sadly, some managers just get criticized. I hate the way upper management is making the decisions yet the dugout manager who is simply following orders in many situations gets the blame. Cash in Tampa got laurels this year the openers’ yet was it really his decision and what happens this coming year if it doesn’t work as well?
Mets definitely need a catcher who can hit or they will not contend [most likely] in 2019.
Maldonado cannot hit.
Grandal can.
A no brainer….ya, he made a few moves that didn’t work out….if Kiki, hitting third, would have gone 4-4 with 2 HRs, everybody would be calling him a genius…..
Bottom line: Dave Roberts is a good manager (Puig didn’t kill anybody this year, or expose his peepee to the fans)…..
Great! Now it’s time to re-sign Ryan Madson.
On a serious note, he is a classy guy and has always managed to keep the team together despite all the injuries, platoons, transactions etc. Yes, he may make some mistakes but with most of those we have to consider that the front office likely has as much to do with those as Roberts himself.
Even our President agrees Roberts is an idiot.
Well, if anyone would know it’d be the president.
LOL.
Hahaha!
Excellent move. Roberts is a great manager and I hope he stays for decades. Everyone’s and expert on managing after playing little league or high school ball but I assure you Dave Roberts took a dump this morning with more baseball knowledge then anyone commenting on this page.
OMG!
And then the sum bit#h flushed it all down the toilet.
ITT: Dodger homers acting like Roberts is some great manager for getting blue to back-to-back world series. And losing both, I might add.
With the Dodgers’ massive payroll, and the front office mentality of “we’ll get anyone we need to compete,” any manager could have done the same. It’s real mangers like Kevin Cash and Bob Melvin who are the true MVP’s, creating great records with a scant payroll. Get lost with that Roberts noise, you got there in spite of him, not because of.
If that’s the case, why didn’t it happen before these past two years and why haven’t the Yankees been there since 09? I just don’t understand how so many people knock a guy for back to back pennants that doesn’t happen by accident.
So the Mets should have no problem getting to the Series this year? They’ve got that front office mentality and should have a sizable increase to their payroll and certainly are in a big market that gives them no excuse not to. Lasorda lost his first two World Series in back to back years.
Not diminishing what Cash and Melvin did, by the way, but the Dodgers didn’t get to two World Series in spite of Roberts.
The Dodgers don’t even have the highest payroll in the division.
you are a moron
It’s not Robert’s fault the FO can’t put a bullpen together
Sometimes it’s luck. I love the Sox but who could have predicted Eovaldi turns into Nolan Ryan starting and relieving in the WS, Kelly becomes Dr. Jekyl instead of Mr. Hyde and when Kimbrel is tipping his pitches, balls end up caught at the track or miraculously in a glove?
never underestimate the role of dumb luck in someone’s success…
We should not judge managers by WS appearances or WS wins. Charlie Manuel and Ned Yost each made successive WS and each won one.
Neither is/was a great pre-game or in-game strategist.
Both had bullpens that got key outs late in close games in September and October, tho. Hrmmm…
IMO, a manager’s primary function is to be the fall guy when the collective unit of players underachieves. The Dodgers may not have won it all yet, but they have not underachieved under Roberts either. Therefore, he deserves a new contract.
And the comments about Roberts pulling starters too early make me laugh remembering all the managers who got blasted for sticking with a starter too long…Guys like Kershaw and Scherzer in recent years, and going all the way back to Pedro and Mark Prior in ‘03. I am sure baseball history is littered with more examples I am not recalling.
If the players perform, common consensus is the manager made the right move. If the players don’t, then the manager was wrong. Convenient. That way, fans and media are never wrong; just angry.
The people commenting “good news for all other teams” are very clueless. Dave has done a terrific job managing the ego’s and keeping guys happy despite sporadic playing time. Thats not easy to do with a roster like this. You dont just let a leader like that go. If he were replaced the next manager would be ripped for his moves
looking forward to the 2019 choke
Someone’s salty :). Who’s your team Syndergaarden cop?
yeah, i’m jealous of your back to back WS chokes with that roster and massive payroll. betting against the dodgers in the WS easy, free money. and with roberts back at the helm, it will continue to be. thanks!
Before the WS this year everyone and their mother picked Boston to win. It happened and you act like its a choke lmao. Means alot coming from a Mets fan whos only big acquisitions are old yankees
Damn so we’re gonna be in the World Series as long as Dave Roberts is around? Sounds good to me, I’ll take our chances of winning one.
I would agree but it does look like the NL will be much stronger in 19. If the Dodgers again win the NL pennant, it will truly be remarkable. This past year the three best teams were in the AL.
Yeah my team loses and is boring but at least it’s cheap for the owner!
Mistake
Ask Gene Mauch if it’s so easy to get to the World Series
Gene Mauch didn’t have the highest payroll in the league and he didn’t have the greatest pitcher of his generation
Neither do the Dodgers. Try again, Nancy
Here’s Gene Mauch:
In late September 1964, his Phillies had a record of 90–60, a 6 1⁄2 game lead in the National League with 12 games left to play, and were starting a 7-game home stand. Mauch decided to start his two pitching aces, Jim Bunning and Chris Short, in 7 of the last 10 games, 4 of those starts on 2 days rest (all of which they lost). The Phillies faded, losing 10 games in a row before winning their last 2 games to finish tied for second place with the Cincinnati Reds, one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals in a collapse infamously known as the “Phold.”
I might be wrong but in 1964, Ritchie Allen (their best hitter) tore up a hand when he tried to push a car backwards with his hand on the headlamp. Not a good idea, but if it was the same year, then Mauch, Bunning, Short, and Allen all played inglorious roles.
P.S. Connie Mack Stadium in the 60’s and its fans were scarily awesome to a 13 year old Connecticut Yankee (but Boston and Phillie Fan).
With all the stats available nowadays just put a robot in the dugout.
As usual most of the folks on this thread are experts on something they really know little about except “what they read in the papers.” Dodgers have been to two straight series, something that “”better: managers” like Hinch and Madden haven’t done. Even the venerated Bochy couldn’t keep the Giants focused in the off years (although three titles in five years is a pretty thing). If the FO had provided Doc with Verlander rather than Darvish, the Dodgers would have won in 2017, And probably still lost in 2018 because the Red Sox were just plain better than everyone else. None of this adds up to the conclusion that there is a better potential manager out there right now. Ask the Sox how it worked out to replace Tito Francona with Bobby Valentine.
I still blame upper management for 2012. Bobby V. went overboard in his dispute with Youk but mainly was doing what ownership wanted after the collapse and clubhouse incidents of 2011. Let’s be honest, the team caught lightning in a bottle so to speak to surprise and win in 13 but then finished last in 14 and 15 without Valentine. That’s why I respect Cashman who sometimes followed ownership orders and sometimes followed his own instincts but has always put a winner on the field in the Bronx.
I’m trilled Dave is back. He appears to be a strong, positive leader. It also doesn’t hurt that the players love him and he’s expressed an eagerness to grow.
Dodgers must no want to win WS>
Buffalo Bills of MLB
It’s been a long thirty years since the last championship. Last year Yu Darvish was lit up in his first World Series start. Who does Roberts start in game seven? Yu Darvish when he had Kershaw et al ready to pitch a few innings each. By the time Darvish was removed, LA was behind five runs. This year Hill was going strong. And while the reported communications glitch of Hill handing the ball to Roberts might have signaled Hill agreeing he ran out of gas, wouldn’t a further conversation clear up the gray area? It’s easy being a Monday morning quarterback, but that is really bothersome.
the padres should have hired him instead of tge guy they gave now, Mr. Last Place Green
The Padres have a roster issue called Loft, lack of talent. The manager is solid
All these people talking about money, they lost to a team that spent 30 million more and didn’t even have the highest payroll in the division. Doesn’t that mean they exceeded expectations? Or should every team fire their manager if they don’t win the world series.
The fans trashed Bochy,until he helped produce 3 championships up in SF. Just watch what Robert’s does in LA
He’s not making it through the entire 4 years. Even if the front office loves him. You can only witness so many terrible decisions in the postseason before you have to blow your brains out.