We’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately about a Neal Huntington extension that is in the works. Jon Heyman reported the other day that the Pirates intended to extend their General Manager. Today, Dejan Kovacevic reports that the extension, once signed, will be for three years.
The extension really isn’t a surprise. The major league team has taken a step forward this year, currently on pace for 74-75 wins. We’ve already seen an improvement of nine games over last year’s disastrous finish, with 19 games left to go. A big reason for the improvement has been the rotation, led by a lot of guys that were acquired by Huntington in the last two years.
The Pirates also just finished spending a record number in the draft, adding Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell as part of a $17 M draft class. The Pirates have spent the most in the draft out of any team over the last four years.
We’re seeing a lot of the young players start to arrive in the majors, and the two top prospects, Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, could arrive as early as June 2013. A three year extension puts Huntington under control through the 2014 season, although I’m guessing his future with the team will be determined earlier, based on the performance of the prospects that arrive in 2012 and 2013.
