The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have signed four-year extensions with General Manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle, both running through the 2021 season. We heard yesterday about the reported agreement with Hurdle, and Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this summer that both Huntington and Hurdle would be extended. Huntington was hired late in 2007, while Hurdle has managed the team since 2011.
Owner Bob Nutting, President Frank Coonelly and Huntington each commented on the new deals:
Nutting
“I am enthusiastic to have both Neal and Clint continuing to lead our baseball operations,” Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said. “While we all know that there is still much work to be done and goals to accomplish, we have made a tremendous amount of progress under their tenures. I believe that Neal and Clint continue to be the right leaders to push us forward in our goal of bringing Postseason baseball back to Pittsburgh.”
Coonelly
“I am extremely pleased to be able to announce that Neal and Clint will continue to be Pirates for at least the next four years. Both men are selfless leaders who have made us a far stronger organization, both on and off the field,” said Coonelly. “Neal and Clint have embraced the challenge of building a winner in Pittsburgh and have been critical to the success that we have had here to date. We have much work to do to reach the heights that our fans deserve. I am excited to continue to work with Neal and Clint to help bring a World Series championship back to Pittsburgh.”
Huntington
“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to work for and with such a quality group of professionals,” Huntington said. “We recognize that we have unfinished business. We remain committed to doing everything in our power to accomplish our organizational goals and to return a World Series championship to Pittsburgh.”
We will have more thoughts on the deals shortly.
