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Dodgers part ways with longtime coach for unexpected reason
by Grey Papke
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are parting ways with one of their longest-tenured coaches for a somewhat surprising reason.
The Dodgers are not retaining hitting coach Aaron Bates, who has been in the organization for 12 years. The two sides could not come to an agreement on a multi-year contract, according to Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors.
The Dodgers are parting ways with hitting coach Aaron Bates, MLBTR has learned. The Dodgers offered Bates a multiyear contract to stay, but the two sides couldn’t agree to terms. He’d been in the organization for 12 years.
— timdierkes (@timdierkes) November 6, 2026
It’s certainly unusual for a team to lose a coach they want to keep unless there is a better opportunity elsewhere. That does not appear to be the case here. Bates and the Dodgers seemingly saw his value differently and could not come to an agreement.
One has to wonder if the Dodgers’ postseason struggles on offense impacted the organization’s view of him. The bats going cold were a significant reason the team exited in the NLCS to the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.
Bates joined the Dodgers’ minor league coaching staff in 2015. He became the team’s assistant hitting coach in 2019, and was promoted to co-hitting coach in 2023. He was with the team for both of their World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.
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