Source: Dave Roberts, Dodgers agree on four-year extension - ESPN

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a four-year extension that will set a record for average annual value on a manager's contract, a source told ESPN on Monday.

The new deal, which runs from 2026 to 2029, will pay Roberts $32.4 million, carrying an $8.1 million average annual value that will barely edge out the yearly rate on Craig Counsell's five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. Roberts, 52, will manage the 2025 season under his current contract, which was entering its final year.

A new deal was considered a foregone conclusion after the Dodgers secured their second championship in five years last fall. Serious negotiations began some time around February, significant progress was made last week, and an announcement could come before the Dodgers fly to Japan to begin their season on Wednesday. The 2025 season will mark Roberts' 10th with the Dodgers.

A cult hero in Boston for the stolen base that helped trigger an unprecedented comeback in the 2004 American League Championship Series, Roberts carved out a 10-year career as a major league outfielder, then later spent five years on the San Diego Padres' coaching staff. The Dodgers hired Roberts to replace Don Mattingly in November of 2015, making him the franchise's first minority manager.

Since then, Roberts has guided the Dodgers to four National League pennants, eight division titles and a .627 regular-season winning percentage, the highest ever for someone who has managed at least 250 games. From 2016 to 2024, the Dodgers won 907 regular-season and postseason games. Only the Houston Astros (862) and the New York Yankees (807) have even surpassed 800.

The Dodgers won at least 100 regular-season games in five