Dodgers Could Make Dave Roberts Highest-Paid Manager in MLB History: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jan 2, 2025

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) celebrates after winning the 2024 MLB World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Dave Roberts has been the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for nine years and his resumé should rewrite the standard for managerial contracts.

In less than a decade, Roberts has won eight division titles, four National League pennants, two World Series titles, and he owns the highest winning percentage in Major League Baseball history by a non-Negro League manager.

Roberts is entering the final year of his three-year deal he inked in 2022 and the Dodgers are expected to negotiate a lucrative contract extension this winter, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

A new contract for Roberts will follow in the footsteps of Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs. When the Cubs lured Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers, it set the benchmark for managerial salaries — five years, $40 million, and $8 million per year.

Roberts is coming off one of the most challenging seasons in his managerial career but the result was his second World Series title. The win put him in an exclusive club with Dodgers icons Tommy Lasorda and Walter Alston as a multi-World-Series winner.

Dodgers executives have stated that their priority this offseason would be addressing roster needs before entering contract talks with manager Dave Roberts. However, as the new year approaches, it seems that time is near, with a new deal for Roberts — likely to rival or exceed Counsell’s record-breaking contract — remaining one of the final major tasks on the team's winter agenda.

Last offseason, Roberts openly expressed his admiration when Counsell secured a record-breaking five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. At the time, Roberts told The Athletic, “No one will ever reach their maximum value unless you're willing to be a free agent.”

Now, Roberts might be joining Counsell in the top tier.

“I know that I’ll have a job in baseball," Roberts said in September. "I have a contract for next year. I’m not too concerned about job security. I just want to win another championship for the city of Los Angeles.”

The championship was won and Roberts has earned his payday regardless of what happens in 2025.

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