Anyone who has been fortunate enough to witness the inner workings of professional baseball has seen first hand that it is a very close-knit community on every level. This is why you’ll notice that whenever a minor league player is promoted to a higher level within their own franchise – or even other franchises – there is congratulations and celebration, regardless of the jersey they wear – especially when the promotion is to The Show.

I mean, let’s be real here. There are only 750 major league baseball players in the world, and literally tens of thousands of minor leaguers vying for each and every one of them. We’re talking about guys who were superstars on their respective college and high school teams.

Simply put, the odds of making it to the Bigs are ridiculously astronomical. This is why there is congratulations and celebration whenever and wherever it happens.

Well guess what? The same holds true for coaches, managers, general managers, and even baseball executives. This is why when now former Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi was appointed to become the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers’ most hated rivals since the beginning of baseball time, the attitude and emotion within the close-knit community was one of congratulations and celebration and not the hate and discontent felt, seen and heard from those outside of this community.

But something rather unusual is happening within the hallowed corridors of Dodger Stadium of late, something that may be nothing more than an unusually large number of Dodgers coaches and player development personnel being blessed to receive promotions to other franchises. Then again, to those outside of the aforementioned close-knit community, there is the appearance of rats abandoning a sinking ship.

Ok, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but consider this:

• Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi just left the Dodgers to become the Giants president of baseball operations.
• Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward just left the Dodgers to become manager of the Texas Rangers.
• Dodgers hitting coach Turner Ward just left the Dodgers to become the hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
• Dodgers assistant hitting coach Luis Ortiz just left the Dodgers to become the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to look at each of these respective personnel moves and not see them as promotions, both in stature and undoubtedly in salary. As such, it is equally difficult, if not impossible, not to view them as cause for congratulations and celebration.

Although Dodgers hitting coach Turner Ward has been instrumental in the development of all of the Dodgers hitters, the number one question being asked about him leaving to take on the same role with the Cincinnati Reds is, who is Yasiel Puig going to kiss now? (Video capture courtesy of Fox Sports)

As every Dodger fan on the planet knows, there has been considerable criticism of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and even more so of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts for their (near) 100 percent blind faith use of analytics and sabermetrics in setting their line-ups and pitching match-ups during the regular season and throughout the just-concluded postseason which, of course, ended with a second consecutive World Series loss. As a result, there are many who see the recent and growing number of defections to other franchises as a direct result of not being completely sold on the analytics-over-eye-test way that the Dodgers play the game today.

Speaking of Dave Roberts.

Last week it was announced that the Dodgers (i.e., Andrew Friedman) and Roberts had hit a snag in their negotiations for a contract extension for the Dodgers skipper, which ran up against the November 2 deadline. In an effort to remove said deadline, the Dodgers picked up their one-year club option on Roberts which stopped the clock and now gives the two parties the entire 2019 season to decide on a mutual contract extension.

…or otherwise.

It has been speculated that the 46-year-old / three-year Dodger manager, who led his team to three (of six) consecutive National League West titles, two consecutive National League pennants resulting in two consecutive World Series appearances, is seeking a multi-year contract extension similar to the reported four-year / (rumored) $12 million contract extension recently given to Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch, the man who beat Roberts in the 2017 World Series.

Having two consecutive World Series losses isn’t exactly the best thing to have on your résumé when seeking a multi-year / high-dollar contract extension. (Video capture courtesy of Pulse Sports)

But wait… there’s more!

On Wednesday afternoon, it was reported that first-year Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the man who beat Roberts in the just-concluded 2018 World Series, was just given a three-year contract extension (with a club option for a fourth year), although the exact amount of the deal was not revealed.

Worth noting, however, is that according to a USA Today article published on August 27, 2018, Cora was among the lowest paid managers in Major League Baseball in 2018 ($800,000), which probably had more to do with the fact that he was a first-year manager than anything else.

For you conspiracy theorists, the thing that absolutely jumps out at you is that both A.J Hinch and Alex Cora are the proud owners of World Series rings and Dave Roberts is not, this despite his two consecutive attempts at such. That being said, Friedman has repeatedly told reporters that they are extremely happy with Roberts at the helm and that he is very confident that a mutually agreed upon long-term contract extension will happen.

Stay tuned…