“I would love to stay here forever” - Dave Roberts drops managerial aspirations amid sky-high expectations from Dodgers skipper
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has only managed one team in his career (though he did manage one game for a team as an assistant for a suspended manager). Through fans calling for him to be fired and a brief lack of postseason success, he has endured it all. He would like that to continue, saying recently that he has no plans on leaving for any other franchise.
He said via Sports Illustrated:
“I would love to stay here forever. I played for this organization, I care for this organization, I love the players, I’ve invested a lot of time and care into the players, I can’t predict the future but for me to wear one uniform as a manager, that would be a dream.”
Roberts spent two and a half seasons playing for the franchise, so he has spent most of his time in the major leagues with them. He also played for the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants.
The lack of postseason success with a team that has regularly been among the best teams in baseball had some fans hoping for him to be fired, but he is still one of the most successful managers in MLB history with a shocking .630 winning percentage over eight seasons.
Can Dave Roberts win the World Series?
A World Series title goes a long way towards extending the shelf life of a manager. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to win it this year, thus meaning Roberts has a real chance at spending the foreseeable future in the blue and white.
That is largely thanks to Shohei Ohtani's arrival. He joins with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, among other key additions as the Dodgers went all-in.
Adding them to a nucleus of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman gives the Dodgers the best roster in all of baseball, and it gives them short odds of winning the World Series this season. It would be a surprise if they weren't able to get it done.