After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a second World Series title in five years, manager Dave Roberts has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2029 season, according to multiple reports.

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In Roberts’ nine seasons as manager, the Dodgers have reached the National League Championship Series six times and appeared in the World Series four times. At just 52 years old, he has the highest winning percentage (.627) in MLB among managers with at least 1,000 games of experience and is already sixth on the all-time postseason wins list. The Dodgers have won 100 or more games five times under Roberts’ leadership.

Dodgers, MGR Dave Roberts reportedly agree to contract extension through 2028, per @MLBNetwork insider @JonHeyman. pic.twitter.com/PvGgcy45uq

— MLB (@MLB) March 10, 2025

While getting paid handsomely to lead a team full of superstars is a pretty sweet gig, Roberts has felt the pressure that comes with such lofty expectations. He handles it by leaning on his faith in God.

When his 10-year MLB career ended in 2009, Roberts joined the Boston Red Sox local broadcast team. The following year, he became a special assistant with the San Diego Padres, and not long later, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a relatively rare, yet aggressive form of cancer. It was discovered during his mandatory physical at spring training in 2010. Had he still been working in TV, he likely would not have gotten the physical. If it had gone undetected for a few more months, it would have been Stage 3 or 4 rather than Stage 2.

While discussing the experience on Sports Spectrum’s “Get in the Game” podcast in 2021, Roberts was quick to identify his faith as his main source of strength and comfort during his cancer battle.

“Even after all this, I would do it again,” he said. “I think my faith got me through it emotionally and mentally. The doctors were amazing. I just really believe that my faith got me through it.”

As awful as it was, it is easy for Roberts to see the positive things that ultimately came from it. His parents came to know the Lord through his experience, something he considers to be “a huge win for me personally.”

Roberts says his leadership style is built on authenticity, relationships and service. He explained on “Get in the Game” that he believes knowing himself well is the first step toward building strong relationships with his players.

“For me, I think that it starts with being authentic with yourself. I think that you’ve really got to understand who you are,” he said.

“The game always has been, always will be, about the players, so you have to really understand who these guys are individually,” he continued later.

Keeping his focus on serving others allows Roberts to keep everything in perspective and remain humble amidst all his success.

“Having that servant mindset to want to help others, it always gets you back to that gratitude piece, that we’ve got it pretty good and there’s other things outside of baseball,” he said on the podcast. “And I think that that ultimately will make you a better person and a better ballplayer. I really do.”

Roberts is a World Series hero as a player and two-time World Series champion as a manager — likely headed to the Hall of Fame — but the things he wants to be known for has nothing to do with his accomplishments in the game.

“I love the Lord,” he said when asked what he wants his legacy to be. “I love my family, and I was a great teammate.”

The Dodgers open the regular season against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18.

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