Dave Roberts Gives Hint About Future as Dodgers Manager

When the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Dave Roberts as their new manager before the 2016 season it came as somewhat of a surprise decision.

Gabe Kapler, who at the time was the Dodgers' director of player development, had been identified by many as the favorite to get hired by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. However, Roberts had the support of Adrian González and other veterans on the roster.

The sliding doors moment has proven to be fruitful for the Dodgers. Roberts is entering his 11th season as Dodgers manager while Kapler managed the Philadelphia Phillies (2018-19) and San Francisco Giants (2020-23) before joining the Miami Marlins front office as assistant general manager.

The Marlins promoted Kapler to general manager in November 2025 as part of multiple front office changes.

While Roberts is firmly entrenched in his role, he told Jack Harris of the California Post that there isn't a plan to mirror the longevity of former Dodgers managers Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda.

“I’m not gonna say I’m going to manage for as long as Tommy [Lasorda] and Walt Alston,” he said, referencing his Hall-of-Fame predecessors’ 20-plus-year tenures with the club. “But I don’t see myself going anywhere for a while.”

Coincidentally, at age 43, Roberts became the youngest full-time manager in Dodgers history since the club hired Alston as a 42-year-old in 1954.

Alston holds the all-time Dodgers record for managerial wins at 2,040. Behind him is Lasorda in second place with 1,599 managerial wins and Wilbert Robinson ranks third with 1,375. Roberts is entering the 2026 season fourth all-time in Dodgers manager wins at 944.

However, his career .621 winning percentage is the highest of any manager in MLB history (minimum 315 games). It’s bested only by Negro League managers Bullet Rogan (.698), Vic Harris (.663), Rube Foster (.633) and Dave Malarcher (.628).

Dave Roberts' contract extension

The 2026 season marks the start of a four-year extension Roberts signed last March. The deal extends through 2029.

Roberts’ contract extension came with a manager record average annual value of $8.1 million. The total value of Roberts’ four-year deal was $32.4 million.

Roberts’ contract broke the manager AAV record that belonged to Craig Counsell, who signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs before the 2024 season.

It was the third contract extension the Dodgers signed Roberts to during his tenure as manager.

In December 2018, he agreed to a four-year extension, and in 2022, Roberts signed a three-year extension two weeks before the start of the regular season. His latest deal was finalized before the Dodgers left for the Tokyo Series.

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