Dave Roberts 'Very Hopeful' for Dodgers Contract Extension Before 2025 MLB Season

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says he is "very hopeful" he will have signed a new contract by the end of spring training, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

“Obviously, I love being here,” Roberts said Friday, per Ardaya. “I haven’t shied away from that. I’m confident it’s going to get done."

Roberts is heading into the final season of the three-year extension he signed with the Dodgers in 2022.

The Dodgers' first full-squad workout takes place Saturday as the club gears up to open the 2025 season on March 18 in Tokyo.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said in December that the team would prioritize re-signing Roberts after dealing with player contracts, per MLB.com's Sonja Chen.

Roberts then told Buster Olney last week on ESPN's Baseball Tonight podcast he and the Dodgers had "just started talking" about an extension.

"I think, for me, I'm hopeful," Roberts told Olney.

Roberts continued: "Hopefully everything takes care of itself, but it's about value. I just love this organization, but, yeah, you want to feel you're valued, absolutely."

Roberts joined the Dodgers ahead of the 2016 season and has since led the club to two World Series titles.

The Dodgers have also posted a 851-506 regular season record under his tenure, earning him a career .618 win percentage ranks first among active managers and sixth all-time.

Those historic numbers could be putting Roberts on track for a deal even more lucrative than the record-breaking five-year, $40 million extension Craig Counsell signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2023.

The Dodgers, who have already agreed to close to $1 billion in deferred player payments, could use the same strategy in order to set a new managerial contract record.

Los Angeles announced Roberts' last extension on March 25, 2022, two weeks to the day before the club's April 8 season opener.

Given how recently the Dodgers began contract talks this year, it seems likely any new extension would be announced similarly close to the season opener. Per Ardaya, as of the day before spring training, Roberts says he remains "optimistic" he will enter the season with a new deal.