Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Doesn’t Care About Being Highest-Paid Manager in MLB
Managers are the first to be blamed for losses and the last to take credit for wins, but what Dave Roberts did last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers deserves a raise.
With the team’s back against the wall, Roberts pulled all the right strings in an eight-pitcher bullpen game shutout against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
That game changed everything.
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The Dodgers went on to win Game 5 and then won the National League pennant over the New York Mets in six games before hoisting the World Series trophy at Yankee Stadium in five.
Roberts has been asked if he believes that he should be the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball and he chose his words wisely.
“That’s a hard question,” Roberts said. “I just think it all comes down to value. And I think whatever anyone does, they want their value. That’s kind of where I’m at. I’m hopeful things get done.
“But it’s not (a goal) to be 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. But I do feel the body of work is pretty dang good.”
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Roberts is entering the final year of his three-year contract he signed in 2022 with extension conversations underway. The Dodgers are expected to match or offer beyond what Craig Counsell makes with the Chicago Cubs. Counsell was lured away from the Milwaukee Brewers to the tune of a five-year, $40 million contract.
For Roberts, it truly isn’t about the money but he does think there is something for the value that he brings to the organization.
“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.”
Roberts did just that. Now, he deserves to get paid for it.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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