It looks like the Pirates are happy with the progress Neal Huntington has made with the organization. Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman wrote on Wednesday that the Bucs appeared set to give the general manager an extension. And on Friday, Dejan Kovacevic tweeted that Huntington's extension would be for three years, as opposed to two. Manager Clint Hurdle's contract goes for two more years.
↵Huntington has been far from perfect as a general manager, but given the job he has done with the mess he inherited, he does deserve an extension. The big-league team, despite poor play over the last six weeks, has improved dramatically this season, thanks in part to the contributions of Huntington-acquired players like Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, James McDonald, Joel Hanrahan, Jose Veras, Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones. And, perhaps more importantly, the organization as a whole is in much better shape than it used to be. There weren't enough breakout performers in the farm system this year, but that was offset to some degree by a great draft that included the gutsy selection - and eventual signing - of top hitting prospect Josh Bell.
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