After two winning seasons at the helm for the Cleveland Indians, manager Terry Francona's future is now secure thanks to the finalization of a contract extension Tuesday.
According to MLB.com's TribeVibe, Francona and the Indians have agreed to a two-year extension through 2018 with club options for both the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
Per the team's official Twitter account, the 55-year-old skipper is thrilled to continue leading the Tribe:
Francona also made his excitement known in this video courtesy of MLB.com:
"Tito" joined the Indians in 2013 after eight seasons and two World Series championships with the Boston Red Sox. He immediately made his presence known in Cleveland by leading the Indians to the playoffs in his debut campaign and winning the American League Manager of the Year award as well.
"I checked with a couple of the players [during the extension talks]. … I believe this is about the players. I wanted them to be comfortable knowing that I was going to be here also, or I wouldn't have done this," Francona said, per TribeVibe.
Francona was unable to make a repeat trip to the postseason in 2014, but he still helped the Tribe accrue an 85-77 record.
Journalist Danny Knobler shared his thoughts on Francona's contract extension following the announcement:
He certainly has the Indians moving in the right direction after five consecutive non-winning seasons, which is why this contract extension makes all the sense in the world.
Few managers have had more success than Francona over the past decade, and the Indians are banking on the notion that his winning ways will continue in the coming years.
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