Dave Roberts’ World Series guarantee is a freezing cold take waiting to happen

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a bold hot take ahead of the 2022 MLB season: the Dodgers will win the World Series this year. 

The Dodgers nearly ran it back in 2021, advancing all the way to the NL Championships only to lose to the eventual World Series winner, the Atlanta Braves.

Now that the Dodgers have something that belonged to Atlanta in Freddie Freeman, the Los Angeles team is looking to replicate what the Braves had in 2021: a championship.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes it’s all too possible, predicting on The Dan Patrick Show that the Dodgers are guaranteed to win the World Series in 2022.

“The Dodgers will win the World Series if…” Patrick poses to Roberts as he expects him to finish the sentence.

“We play a full season and there is a postseason,” Roberts responded confidently. “We will win the World Series in 2022,” he confirmed.

Dave Roberts’ bold World Series guarantee set up to be a freezing cold take in October

While the Dodgers are entering the 2022 season as the regular season favorites with a projected win total of 97.5, guaranteeing a World Series victory is easier said that done. Before their 2020 title, the last time the Dodgers won a championship was in 1988. Among 32 MLB teams, it’s not easy to pick a winner before the season even begins.

In 2021, the Dodgers entered the preseason as the favorites for the pennant, followed by the New York Yankees, the San Diego Padres, and the Houston Astros. The Braves projection of a 87-75 record was eerily close to their actual record, which was 88-73. Even though their projected record was close, the Braves were predicted to have a 49 percent chance of making playoffs and a 4 percent chance to win the World Series.

Perhaps Roberts is letting the Dodgers’ recent success get to his head, as this has been a strong team over the past few years and has now entered the 2021 and 2022 season as winning favorites. Still, calling a World Series is a massive gamble, no matter how dominant the team.

Considering Patrick’s question with more scrutiny, Roberts answered with a more realistic observation: “[The Dodgers will win the World Series if] our starting staff stays healthy.”