Dodgers Give Manager Dave Roberts New 4-Year Deal
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to back-to-back World Series appearances, the team has rewarded Dave Roberts with a four-year extension.
The Dodgers announced Monday that the 46-year-old Roberts has agreed to a four-year deal that will run through 2022. Last month, the team had exercised a one-year option on his current contract while a long-term deal was worked out.
Exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Keeping Doc as our leader on the field was a top priority this offseason and now that we've accomplished that we are excited to collectively shift all of our focus to doing all we can to bring a World Championship to our passionate fans," Dodgers President Andrew Friedman said in a statement.
This comes after the Dodgers locked up pitching ace Clayton Kershaw with a three-year, $93 million deal last month.
Roberts was named Dodgers manager ahead of the 2016 season and subsequently led them to three straight National League West titles. He has compiled a 287-200 overall record and won the National League Manager of the Year award in 2016.
Roberts spent five years as a coach with the San Diego Padres before taking the reins in L.A. He had no previous major league managerial experience.
He is the first minority to serve as the Dodgers manager.
"When I was hired to lead this team three years ago, I said at the time that managing the Dodgers is truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I feel the exact same way today," said Roberts in a statement. "We've worked hard to develop a team and culture that will put us in position to win the World Series every season, but we still have yet to achieve our ultimate goal and that is what drives me each day. I want to thank Andrew, Stan Kasten and our outstanding ownership group for believing in me and keeping me in Dodger Blue, a uniform I'm so proud to wear."
A center outfielder in his playing days, Roberts played for the Dodgers for three seasons from 2002 to 2004, when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. A San Diego native, he played college baseball at UCLA.
