Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Weighs In Whether Playoffs Will Determine Dave Roberts Standing With Team
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remains under contract through the end of the 2025 season. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman weighed in on the implications the postseason will play in Roberts’ future with the Dodgers.
“To me, I think the evaluation for all of us gets at the consistency,” Friedman told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “The leadership. Putting guys in the best positions to succeed. … There are so many nuances that happen in a game, that it’s not just results. I think in terms of how we look at things, obviously, results are all that we ultimately care about. But as far as evaluating, there’s a lot more that goes into it.”
“I don’t think we’re an organization that points fingers at any one person,” Friedman continued. “It’s about us collectively coming together to figure out how to get better.”
A current contract extension hasn’t been discussed. Roberts negotiated a three-year contract extension in 2022.
The burden Roberts bears is unlike several other MLB managers. He is not only tasked with overseeing a winning team but also ensuring that the team passes the final test of the World Series.
No other team in baseball has such high expectations each season. On the other hand, most managers don’t have a lineup that includes Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.
But the season hasn’t been without adversity. The Dodgers clinched the National League West despite losing most of their starting rotation to injury. Roberts utilized 40 different pitchers to stay afloat, a franchise record.
“It’s hard to completely enjoy something that I guess everyone in the world thinks just happens, that it’s expected,” Roberts said. “So when it does happen, it’s more relief. Because you didn’t disappoint. You realized expectations. With the Dodgers, we’re never going to over-exceed expectations because of the reputation we have. That’s a compliment. But I do think that it does take away some of the joy. It’s where we’re at, the job I’ve chosen and the job I love.”
The Dodgers hope to avoid a first-round exit in their upcoming NLDS matchup with the San Diego Padres. This is a very different team from the 111-win Dodgers that were knocked out by the Padres in 2022.
The 2024 Dodgers have overcome an unprecedented number of injuries just to get through the season. It was the worst-case scenario, yet the Dodgers persevered. The question remains whether the current Dodgers will have the same end results as great teams of the past or if can they go all the way.
Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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I firmly believe that the medical team and training staff need to be more closely examined. The Dodgers seem to have more injuries to their pitching staff than any other team in major leagues. One year might be an anomaly but two or more? There is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Amen to that. How useful is it to throw 100MPH if they blow out their elbow every year. Admittedly not my field of expertise, but might there be a connection between injuries and pitching training/coaching? Seems like a no brainer to me.
The pitching coaches are great at teaching pitchers new, effective grips, but are unacceptable at keeping them healthy. Time for a change. Sign Teoscar. Sign Adames. Sign Soto. There is enough money coming off the books to do this without a very large increse in payroll. Move Betts to 2B. 1. Ohtani, 2. Betts, 3. Soto, 4. Teoscar, 5. Freeman, 6. Adames, 7. Muncy, 8. Smith, 9. Edman. Starting pitching: Glasnow, Yamamoto, Ohtani, Stone, Gonsolin, May. Then at OKC backing them up – Knack, Wobleski, Casperious, Sheehan, Hurt, Frasso. I skip Kershaw. 2026 – River Ryan. With Ohtani after 20 days he again is classified as a 2 way player and he does not count against the 13 pitcher limit, so they can carry 1. Kopeck 2. Treinen (re-sign him) 3. Vesia 4. Brazier 5. Banda 6. Evan Phillips 7. Graterol 8. Hudson 9. Hernandez 10 – 13 – pick ups in off season. Too many pitchers to spend money on free agents unless they can get Burnes who would take the place of Dustin May to start in the rotation.
I am ready for another Big CHOKE by the L.A. BUMS. Then Dave Robert’s will be GONE too.
Yea, everyone wants to blame Robert’s when it’s not his fault there’s all those injuries. Yet he worked it to overcome not having a full regular lineup many times to get the team to where they are.
What a great job has Andrew Friedman done since he came to the dodgers organization.championship after championship.He’s the best, I congratulate him, the pitching staff. Dave Roberts good coaching.
Dodgers should listen to the majority of fans who think Roberts has done a great job as manager. Don’t listen to a vocal minority who maybe more interested in their online betting than whether the Dodgers win a championship or not…
Look, we all appreciate the 2020 championship for what it was. Other teams and fans may mock it, but every team played with the same circumstances and rules, so it counts. We played against a cheating Astr*s team in 2017 and pushed them to 7 games. got nuked by Boston in 2018. That said, Roberts has failed recently. I don’t care about winning the NL West, some attendance record, or getting another participation trophy. October is what matters. Mattingly was fired for losing in the NLCS followed by 2 subsequent losses in the NLDS. And he had a lesser roster and rotation. We now own a losing streak of 6 games and are 3 – 10 in our last three series. Yes, that means losing the 2021 NLCS followed by 2 subsequent losses in the NLDS. I appreciate at a certain level the team having great regular seasons, but at some point, people need to wake up and realize it’s October that matters, not just getting there…again. It doesn’t make me any less of a fan, just my measure for success is playoff success. Roberts now lacks it.
I understand the comments by Mike H. What he says is the view of nearly every sports fan in the country. However, I do not understand how the accomplishments of a six month grueling season can be overlooked. The Dodgers not only won their division but won more games than any team in the major leagues despite having more injuries than any team in recent memory. Winning a World Series would be awesome but, the fact is, the playoffs contain a lot of luck. Again, I do not understand how a tournament with so many inferior teams (by record) can determine a successful season. As a fan, I appreciate six months of great entertainment and will not let a few weeks in October dictate a lost season.
His in-game decisions do not seem right, a lot of the time. For example (and just one example), a relief pitcher will come in, throw one inning in 10 or fewer pitches, and Roberts won’t bring him back for the next inning, causing the team to use one more relief pitcher that game than necessary. Nevertheless or despite this, they consistently have the best or nearly the best record for the season. [They usually have the most talented team.] There never seem to be any locker room problems or problem players. Will his in-game decision making hurt the team in the playoffs?
Hey Glen – Thanks for your response. I’m not saying it’s a lost season if they don’t win the WS, but questioning Roberts’s ability to lead this team to playoff success. I enjoy a great regular season like most fans, but the true measure of success and emphasis on every team sport played is how you perform in the crucible of the playoffs. Talk about inferior teams, a good portion of those 162 regular season games are played against teams far inferior to those that make the playoffs. The whole point of the regular season is to position yourself for seeding in the playoffs. That’s true for every team sport that I can think of in the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, etc. It doesn’t mean the regular season is meaningless, but if that’s all that mattered, there would not be a need for playoffs.
Now, if your issue is with the structure of the playoffs, that’s a valid and completely different discussion. I’d dare say eventually they will expand again and be just like the NHL and NBA with the top 8 teams from each league making it. Manfred has proven that the integrity of the game is not something he’s worried about. It’s all about money and how better to extort that from the fans than to make it where half the team make it in. It’s appalling already, so why wouldn’t he slide just a little further down that slope?
I was trying to remember the last time Roberts made a “gut decision” that paid off…ie. lineup order change, a defensive/offensive substitution, that was NOT based on analytics. I coudln’t think of one, and I watch nearly every regular/post-season game. In addition, there’s no denying the fact that after a certain period of time, ever manager’s voice loses effectiveness after a certain period of time. When a Joe Maddon, Ski Schumaker are avalable, Alex Cora about to be available, even a guy like Chase Utley (who advises within the organization) is available, it would be a disservice for the Front Office to not explore other options. If the franchise’s goal is to win World Series titles, then every aspect of the organization has to be examined each off-season, including the manager. I believe Doc is an elite communicator and works well in tandem with the Front Office and the wins speak volumes. However, I suspect it’s time to go in another direction if the Dodgers don’t go the distance in 2024.