Manager Dave Roberts says he's reached 'closure' in contract talks with Dodgers

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Dave Roberts and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers won't yet say they have agreed to a new contract.

Multiple reports on Monday said the Dodgers and Roberts have worked out a $32.4 million, four-year deal that would keep him with the club through 2029. At that figure he could have the highest average salary among managers, topping a five-year deal in 2024 for Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell worth more than $40 million.

“I can’t talk so much about it, but I do think there is finally some closure,” Roberts said. “I’m excited. Obviously, this is a place I want to be. I’m sure I’ll go into it more, but hopefully there’s an announcement coming soon. I’m waiting.”

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

Entering the final season of his current deal, Roberts is about to begin his 10th year with the franchise and has never won less than 91 games in a non-shortened season. His .627% winning percentage tops among current managers and he led the team to World Series titles in 2020 and 2024.

The 52-year-old has been a steady presence in a clubhouse that's full of high-priced stars. He's also been a key part in helping Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki acclimate to the franchise.

“There's obviously things that are off the field that are important,” Roberts said. “I try to make sure my focus stays on the players, the game, the Dodgers organization, and I think I've done a good job. But that other stuff is just part of the job and I'm looking forward to some closure for sure.”

Ohtani won his third career MVP in 2024 after becoming the first player to hit at least 50 homers and steal at least 50 bases in the same season.

Roberts had a 10-year playing career in MLB from 1999 to 2008. The outfielder spent 2 1/2 seasons as a player with the Dodgers and helped the Boston Red Sox win a World Series in 2004.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates with manager Dave Roberts after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a spring training baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chats with a young Dodgers fan during a spring training baseball practice, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, talks with Dodgers' Brandon McDaniel, Major League Development Integration Coach, prior to a spring training baseball game against the Athletics, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) and manager Dave Roberts (30) fire each other up before the start of their spring training baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walks to the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

SYDNEY (AP) — Two gunmen shot dead nine people on Sunday at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, police said. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested.

The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. A massive emergency response was underway, with injured people loaded into ambulances.

Eleven people were confirmed wounded, according to a statement by police in New South Wales state, where Sydney is located. Two of those hurt were police officers.

Australian authorities haven't confirmed what the target of the mass shooting was. Hundreds had gathered for an event at Bondi Beach called Chanukah by the Sea, which was celebrating the start of the Hanukkah Jewish festival.

Police said their operation was “ongoing" and that a “number of suspicious items located in the vicinity” were being examined by specialist officers.

Dramatic footage apparently filmed by a member of the public and broadcast on Australian television channels showed someone appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen, before pointing the man's weapon at him.

Emergency services were called to Campbell Parade about 6.45 p.m. responding to reports of shots being fired, police said.

Local news outlets spoke to distressed and bloody bystanders who witnessed the horror. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the reports and images coming from the scene as “deeply distressing."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his thoughts were with all those affected,

“The scenes in Bondi are shocking and distressing,” he said. “Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives.”

Mass shooting deaths in Australia are extremely rare. A 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where a lone gunman killed 35 people, prompted the government to drastically tighten gun laws and made it much more difficult for Australians to acquire firearms.

Significant mass shootings this century included two murder-suicides with death tolls of five people in 2014, and seven in 2018, in which gunmen killed their own families and themselves.

In 2022, two police officers were shot and killed by Christian extremists at a rural property in Queensland state. The three shooters in that incident, conspiracy theorists who hated the police, were also shot and killed by officers after a six-hour siege in the region of Wieambilla, along with one of their neighbors.

McGuirk reported from Melbourne, Australia, and Graham-McLay from Wellington, New Zealand.

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)