The defending champion Dodgers have spent all winter bulking up their roster and pushing their payroll to unprecedented heights. Now, manager Dave Roberts is getting his share, too.
The MLB club and Roberts have agreed on a four-year, $32.4 million contract extension, according to multiple reports, that keeps the skipper in place through the 2029 season. The $8.1 million average annual value just surpasses the yearly rate in the five-year, $40 million agreement Craig Counsell has with the Cubs, the Dodgers’ opponent in the upcoming MLB Tokyo Series, to become the highest of any manager in MLB history.
A new deal for Roberts has essentially been a foregone conclusion since he led the club last fall to their second World Series title in five years, but their first in a full season since 1988. The only real questions were when the pact would get done and for how much money. Those answers are now coming into place as the team is set to depart Wednesday for Japan.
The Roberts deal also follows a whirlwind Dodgers offseason that saw major deals for pitchers Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, a new contract for star outfielder Teoscar Hernández, and the additions of relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates shortly before the start of spring training.
The Dodgers now have a luxury-tax payroll of $392.5 million for 2025, the highest in league history, more than $70 million beyond the No. 2 Mets, and more than five times the projected outlay for the No. 30 Marlins. The Dodgers’ economic dominance over the rest of the league has been a heightening topic of discussion throughout MLB.
Roberts has won eight division titles, four National League pennants, and the two World Series titles in Los Angeles, but had started last year in some long-term uncertainty given the prior lack of a full-season championship.
Though now pacing MLB managers in annual compensation, Roberts still easily trails coaches in some other sports, including the $20 million per year for the Chiefs’ Andy Reid and several NBA coaches beyond $10 million, led by the Warriors’ Steve Kerr at $17.5 million.
