8:27pm: Bochy and Sabean have agreed to the extensions and they should be announced tomorrow, Heyman reports (Twitter link). Slightly amending his earlier tweet, Heyman reports that the extensions will run through “at least” the 2018 season.
8:24pm: The extensions for Bochy and Sabean would run through the 2018 season, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Sabean’s deal could also involve a promotion, as CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic reports that he and the Giants have discussed making Sabean the organization’s president of baseball operations. Longtime assistant GM Bobby Evans would then become San Francisco’s new general manager.
9:15am: The Giants are “getting close” to long-term deals for GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy, Bob Nightengale reports in the midst of a longer piece addressing the defending World Series champions. The pair is already under contract through 2016, pursuant to extensions reached back in March of 2013.
It appears, then, that the San Francisco brain trust is not going anywhere soon regardless whether new contracts can be agreed upon. But it is hard to fault the idea of doubling down on a Sabean-Bochy tandem that has delivered three titles in five years, especially after watching other clubs lure rival leaders with big paydays this past offseason.
As Nightengale notes, the recent deals signed by executive Andrew Friedman and skipper Joe Maddon have helped raise the bar in their respective markets. Of course, Bochy, at least, was already said to be paid at or near the $5MM annual rate that Maddon reportedly landed over five years.
As one of the game’s more willing spenders, the Giants might be expected to enjoy somewhat more success than other organizations. And Sabean has not always drawn wide plaudits for his moves, taken individually. But the results speak for themselves: the organization has reeled off winning seasons in five of six years while enjoying entirely unmatched success in the playoff format, all while delivering a variety of popular, star players to a fan base that has turned out consistently.
