Twins sign manager Gardenhire to two-year extension

Nov 13, 2008 - 3:54 PM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) - The Minnesota Twins on Thursday signed manager Ron Gardenhire to a two-year contract extension.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal will cover the 2010-2011 seasons. Gardenhire already is under contract for 2009 as part of a two-year extension he signed on October 20, 2006.

Gardenhire, who finished second in American League Manager of the Year voting to Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays, holds a 622-512 record in seven seasons with the Twins.

Gardenhire, 51, was named manager of the Twins on January 4, 2002. He has led the Twins to the Central Division title four times, and has posted a winning record in six of his seven years as manager.

Last season, Gardenhire led the Twins to an 88-75 record, with its final loss coming in game No. 163, a one-game tiebreaker with the White Sox for the AL Central title.

That result was considered quite the feat as the Twins entered the 2008 season having traded two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and losing center fielder Torii Hunter in free agency. The club's Opening Day lineup featured just three returning position players and its starting rotation had just one pitcher with more than 48 career starts.

In addition to signing Gardenhire, the Twins also signed pitching coach Rick Anderson, bench coach Steve Liddle, bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek, third base coach Scott Ullger, hitting coach Joe Vavra, first base coach Jerry White, head athletic trainer Rick McWane, assistant athletic trainer Dave Pruemer and strength and conditioning coordinator Perry Castellano to two-year contracts, which will run through the 2010 season.

"Ron and his staff have done an outstanding job over the last seven years, and none was better than the 2008 season," Twins general manager Bill Smith said. "We had a lot of new players and a lot of young players, and our major league staff did a marvelous job with a changing cast of players. Continuity has been a great strength of the Twins organization for two decades. The current staff has played an important role in the design and development of the Target Field facilities, and these agreements will carry the staff into the new ballpark in 2010."