LOS ANGELES – According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to name former player Dave Roberts as their next manager come Monday morning.
The Dodgers front office led by team President Andrew Friedman and General Manager Farhan Zaidi narrowed their expansive search down to Roberts and Gabe Kapler last week and were expected to make their final decision by the end of the weekend.
According to those close to the situation and speaking under the condition of anonymity, the team will announce Roberts as their next manager on Monday morning.
Roberts reportedly impressed the Dodgers front office brass, known affectionately as "the Brain Trust," in interviews over the last month.
Roberts is no stranger to Los Angeles, the 43-year-old outfielder played for the team between 2002 and 2004. Roberts was speedster, and was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2004, where his pinch-run steal in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series helped propel the Red Sox past the New York Yankees after trailing that series 3-0.
Roberts would later be a key figure for the Red Sox as they won the World Series that year, their first championship since 1918.
Roberts has spent the last four years as an assistant coach for the San Diego Padres under manager Bud Black who was also a final candidate for the Dodgers coaching vacancy.
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Roberts will become the first minority manager in the Dodgers franchise history and the first hire by Friedman since taking over as President of Baseball Operations in 2014.
Friedman and Zaidi mutually parted ways with former manager Don Mattingly one week after they were eliminated from the MLB playoffs in the NLDS series by the New York Mets. Mattingly spent five seasons with the team as the man in charge and recently signed a four-year contract to manage the Miami Marlins.
Mattingly was a tremendous manager for the Dodgers, winning three consecutive NL West Division titles for the first time in team history. However, he was unable to reach the World Series, therefore falling short of expectations.
There will be tremendous pressure now on Roberts to take over where Mattingly left off and get the Dodgers over the hump and into their first fall classic since 1988.
With a new manager in place, the Dodgers front office can now turn their attention to free agency where they hopefully can resign Zack Greinke and Howie Kendrick.
