*Photo from Boston.com*
One of the architects of the San Francisco Giants success just got a nice payday. The Giants and manager Gabe Kapler have agreed to a two year contract extension, according to an announcement made by the team, right after the best season in Giants history.
The Giants and Kapler had originally agreed to a 3 year deal after the end of the 2019 season, so he would have been under contract for the 2022 season. Now, with his extension, he's under contract until the end of the 2024 season, instead of being eligible for free agency as a manager. His term as the 39th manager in Giants history will extend longer.
Kapler said in a press conference that "I love working with the people in San Francisco. In particular, I love working with our staff and our front office. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with everyone across the organization. I feel like I’ve really enjoyed getting to know our fanbase and feel like San Francisco is home now. This feels like an endorsement of what I already felt, which is that I belong here."
Last season, Kapler led the Giants to a 107-55 record, winning their first NL West title since 2012, beating out the Los Angeles Dodgers in a nail biter. Despite that, the Giants did still lose in the best of 5 NLDS to those same Dodgers. In his two seasons managing the Giants, Kapler's .613 winning percentage translates to a 136-86 record.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said "Anytime you have a season like we did, winning 100-plus games, getting to the playoffs and building a lot of positive momentum and your manager is going into the last year of his deal, it’s really a high priority to get that taken care of. I know that there’s been a lot of conversation about what we have to do roster-wise, but this was really at the top of our list. I’m thrilled we were able to get it done in such short order."
In addition to his new extension and recent success since joining the Giants, Kapler joins Brewers manager Craig Counsell and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt as the 3 finalists for NL Manager of the year for the 2021 season, with the winner being revealed on Tuesday night. Kapler is seen as the frontrunner for the award.
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