The first substantive conversation Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts had with Adam Liberatore happened in late March, inside Roberts’ office at the club's Camelback Ranch spring training complex. The tone was unpleasant.
The rookie manager had the awkward assignment of sending a player to the minors. The second-year reliever fumed at the perceived slight.
Roberts asked Liberatore how he felt about the decision. Liberatore told him he did not agree. Roberts kept poking, asking Liberatore how he saw himself. Liberatore was two months away from his 29th birthday, with only 39 appearances in the majors. He answered with an assertion that took his manager aback.