Dave Roberts didn’t sound like a manager clinging to old habits after watching the Brewers handle the Dodgers. If anything, he came away with a clear takeaway from Milwaukee’s 4-0 sweep: baseball is moving toward teams that can run, defend, and put the ball in play.
On ESPN’s Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, Roberts pointed to the direction he thinks the sport is heading after seeing the Brewers up close.
“I think you’re going to see teams really trying to get more athletic,” Roberts said to Olney.
He also made it clear that the game still has room for a contact-heavy approach, even in an era obsessed with power.
“Slug is always great. It’s just hard to slug those ones and twos…..Ball in play is still king, in my opinion,” Roberts added.
That view fits what Milwaukee just showed. The Brewers didn’t simply survive by playing small ball; they combined speed, pressure, and timely execution with enough offense to outslug the Dodgers and the Rays. Their style can look modest at first glance, but it’s built on forcing mistakes, stretching innings, and cashing in when pitchers lose the edge.
Roberts’ comments also land at a time when the Dodgers are facing a roster question that goes beyond one series. As baseball’s oldest roster, they don’t match Milwaukee’s athletic profile. Their age shows up in speed, base-running, and defensive range, areas where the Brewers can keep opponents off balance.
That doesn’t mean the Dodgers can’t still win with veterans. Max Muncy, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts are still producing in their 30s. But Roberts’ point suggests the team needs more balance around them, more players who can cover ground and create pressure.
That could mean moving Teoscar Hernandez or bringing in a top-of-the-line infielder to pair with Betts.
Tommy Edman is the most athletic player on the Dodgers’ postseason roster, but his diminished bat keeps him from locking down an everyday role.
So if the Dodgers are going to take anything real from Milwaukee’s success, it may not just be a philosophical lesson. It could become a roster mandate, whether that help comes from the farm system or through a trade.
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