The Phillies announced Wednesday that manager Charlie Manuel's contract has been extended through the 2013 season.The new contract squashed the remaining year on Manuel's previous deal and revamps the agreement the Phillies have with Manuel in 2011. The new agreement extends Manuel for two additional seasons, through 2013, and will reportedly pay the native West Virginian between $9.5 and $10 million over the three years.
Via a press release from the Phillies today, team general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. stated, "We are pleased to have come to terms with Charlie. He has been an integral part of the success we've had over the past several years. There was little doubt that he was going to continue to be our skipper past his current contract and we look forward to the next three years with the hopes of continued success."
With Manuel at the helm from 2005 through 2010, Philadelphia has posted the best overall record among all teams in the National League, at 544-428. Manuel has led the team to an unprecedented four consecutive division titles and charged into two World Series during that stretch. In addition, Manuel's Phillies had the best regular season record in all of Major League Baseball at 97-65 last season, despite dealing with a rash of injuries to much of their starting lineup.
Manuel was pleased with the extension and spoke with the media about the relation of his age to the deal and about potentially continuing to manage beyond this contract.
"I set the time on the deal because I’ll be 69 years old when the deal runs out and I’ll sit down and I’ll evaluate where I’m at and talk to them and see where they’re at," Manuel stated. "I think as long as I stay healthy and things like that, I’m probably going to want to stay in the game. I want to manage as long as I can, and if I’m going to retire, I want to retire myself."
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