MLB
The Dodgers’ Steady Hand: Dave Roberts Becomes MLB’s Highest-Paid Manager
Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.
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He has been the voice in the clubhouse, the leader in the dugout, and the architect of one of the most dominant stretches in modern baseball. And now, Dave Roberts is the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Roberts have agreed to a four-year, $32.4 million contract, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. The deal surpasses the five-year, $40 million pact that Craig Counsell signed with the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season, setting a new benchmark for managerial salaries.
Roberts, 52 years old and entering his 10th season with the Dodgers, was in the final year of the three-year extension he signed before the 2022 season. With the deal finalized, the leader of baseball’s most aggressive spender stays put, as the Dodgers aim to become the first team since the 2000-01 Yankees to win back-to-back World Series titles.
A Winter of Power Moves
Extending Roberts is the final piece of an offseason unlike any other for the Dodgers. The team spent big, signing pitchers Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates, outfielder Michael Conforto, and infielder Hyeseong Kim. They also re-signed Teoscar Hernández, Enrique Hernández, Blake Treinen, and Clayton Kershaw.
The spending spree pushed the Dodgers’ payroll to $379 million—and even closer to the $400 million threshold for luxury tax purposes. The roster now features Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, three generational talents, alongside one of the deepest pitching staffs in baseball.
Yet, no move carries more significance than keeping Roberts at the helm.
A Manager Worth the Price
Over nine seasons, Roberts has amassed an 851-506 record, leading the Dodgers to eight NL West titles, four NL pennants, and two World Series championships.
His .627 winning percentage is the highest of any manager in National or American League history. Among active skippers, only Bruce Bochy has more postseason wins (57 to Roberts’ 52). And only two other active managers—Bochy and Houston’s Dusty Baker—have multiple World Series titles.
Yet, for all the accolades, Roberts remains humble and focused.
“I just think it all comes down to value,” Roberts told the Orange County Register before the deal was finalized. “And I think whatever anyone does, they want their value.”
“But it’s not about being the highest-paid manager. If that’s the fallout, fine. But that’s not why I do my job. I do my job because I love baseball, I love the Dodgers, and I love the players.”
The Future in Los Angeles
Roberts’ contract ensures that the Dodgers’ leader and culture-setter will guide the franchise through 2028. With expectations soaring and championship-or-bust pressure mounting, Roberts remains the Dodgers’ steady hand.
Los Angeles is all-in. The payroll, the roster, and now the manager’s contract all reflect it. The goal is simple: another title. And with Roberts in the dugout, the Dodgers believe they have the man to deliver it.
