Dejan Kovacevic reports that the Pirates granted one-year extensions to their GM Neil Huntington and Manager John Russel- they just didn’t tell anyone.  I am not sure why they would do that since not knowing they were extended a year has led to a number of stories about Russels firing.  Sure, as CEO Frank Coonelly says, a contract extension doesn’t mean the team won’t be fired.  Anyone can be fired at any time.

But not telling the media is just a bizarre way to handle things- and its even more bizarre that when stories started to surface about the possibility of firing the manager that he didn’t step forth to quell those concerns.  Instead, he let his manager and his players deal with questions.  How does that help the team?

I have written over and over that a General Manager in the last year of his contract doesn’t think about the long-term interests of his club. He thinks short-term, because he only can see a short time left for him to turn the club around.  He might make a dumb trade to bring in an expensive pitcher, for example, that will provide more wins for the team, and maybe make the team look more successful.  But in the long run, the money tied up with that pitcher may not allow the club to spend money in ways that may help it longterm.

Yes- the Pirates are miserable.  Yes, it seems like neither the manager or the General Manager have any idea what they are doing.  And honestly, they are worse this year than I could have imagined. But keeping contract extensions secret don’t help either person do their job better, it may just help Frank Coonelly not be ridiculed in the press and public so much.

But by not telling the other teams that you have extended Neil Huntington you have made it harder for him to do his job.  Other GM’s are dealing with him as a lame duck.  They may not be offering him the best deals, they may not be respecting that he is supported by his ownership.  If the decision is worth making, it is worth telling everyone about.