The Oakland Athletics, who pulled off perhaps the most surprising run to the playoffs this season, rewarded manager Bob Melvin, executive vice president Billy Beane and general manager David Forst with long-term extensions on Monday.
“I’m proud of the tremendous success of our team under the leadership of Billy, David and Bob and am excited to have that continue for years to come,” A’s owner John Fisher said in a statement. The A’s did not give further details on the extensions.
Despite season-ending injuries to six of their starting pitchers, the A’s finished with a 97-win season, the fourth-best record in the American League, and a wild-card berth. Even as the injuries continued to mount, the A’s went 65-29 to end the season. They lost to the New York Yankees in the wild-card game.
Melvin, 56, has led the A’s to the playoffs four times in eight years with the team. He has a 634-599 record with Oakland, the third most wins in franchise history behind Connie Mack and Tony La Russa.
He is one of the favorites for the Manager of Year award, which he has won twice previously, with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 and with the A’s in 2012. His current contract runs through 2019.
Beane, 56, is the groundbreaking executive of the A’s famous for his “Moneyball” philosophy, which uses analytics to assemble a team on a small budget.
Beane was the A’s general manager for 18 seasons before being named executive VP of baseball operations in 2015. In his 21 years with the team, the A’s have made the playoffs nine times.
Forst, 42, was promoted to general manager in 2015.