Baseball Guru
02-19-2002, 03:05 PM
By JEFF FLETCHER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
PHOENIX -- A's general manager Billy Beane is close to signing a three-year deal that would extend his contract through 2008, an A's source said Friday.
The final details of the contract are not likely to be settled until next week.
Beane, who could not be reached for comment, has insisted that he is happy in Oakland, despite persistent rumors that he is headed elsewhere.
In recent years he has been mentioned for jobs in Seattle and Los Angeles. Most recently he was considered to be the top choice to replace Dan Duquette in Boston once the Red Sox new ownership takes control of the team.
This new extension will not guarantee that Beane remains in Oakland.
He will still have an option to get out of the deal if the team is sold, and another team could buy his rights from the A's.
The extension certainly demonstrates that the A's are happy with Beane, and the feeling is apparently mutual.
Beane, 39, has always said that he wants to stick with the organization that he helped rebuild after the lean years in the early '90s.
Beane took over for Sandy Alderson following the 1998 season. Since then, the A's have improved every year, going from 74 victories to 87 to 90 to 102. They won the American League West in 2000 and cruised to the wild card in 2001.
The A's have been successful despite one of the lowest payrolls in the majors. That is a testament in part to the farm system overseen by Beane and to his ability to make shrewd trades.
Beane was named Major League Executive of the Year after the 1999 season. After that, the A's signed him to a three-year extension that brought his deal through 2005.
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
PHOENIX -- A's general manager Billy Beane is close to signing a three-year deal that would extend his contract through 2008, an A's source said Friday.
The final details of the contract are not likely to be settled until next week.
Beane, who could not be reached for comment, has insisted that he is happy in Oakland, despite persistent rumors that he is headed elsewhere.
In recent years he has been mentioned for jobs in Seattle and Los Angeles. Most recently he was considered to be the top choice to replace Dan Duquette in Boston once the Red Sox new ownership takes control of the team.
This new extension will not guarantee that Beane remains in Oakland.
He will still have an option to get out of the deal if the team is sold, and another team could buy his rights from the A's.
The extension certainly demonstrates that the A's are happy with Beane, and the feeling is apparently mutual.
Beane, 39, has always said that he wants to stick with the organization that he helped rebuild after the lean years in the early '90s.
Beane took over for Sandy Alderson following the 1998 season. Since then, the A's have improved every year, going from 74 victories to 87 to 90 to 102. They won the American League West in 2000 and cruised to the wild card in 2001.
The A's have been successful despite one of the lowest payrolls in the majors. That is a testament in part to the farm system overseen by Beane and to his ability to make shrewd trades.
Beane was named Major League Executive of the Year after the 1999 season. After that, the A's signed him to a three-year extension that brought his deal through 2005.