D-backs extend Hale's contract

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- D-backs manager Chip Hale confirmed Friday that he and the organization had reached an agreement that keeps him under contract through at least 2017.
"We're very happy," Hale said. "Obviously, as a family, it's good news for us, but I just love being a Diamondback. I grew up here as a coach and feel very comfortable here, so we're excited about it. It's a great organization. What we're building is special, and it's not a one-year thing -- we're trying to do this for a while."
 

In his first year as manager in 2015, Hale led the D-backs to a 79-83 finish, a 15-game improvement over '14.
When he was hired in Oct. 2014, he was given a two-year contract that included a club option for '17. Neither the organization nor Hale would say how long he is now under contract for, but apparently the team did not want him to be a lame-duck manager in the final year of his deal.
"Like anything else in baseball, it's year to year," Hale said. "We know that. From the time I started playing, we just sort of live year to year. The truth is if I felt like, at the end of this year, that I wasn't getting through to guys or I didn't have an effect on helping these guys become better players, better people, then I probably wouldn't want to be here anyway, and they wouldn't want me. You have to keep it fresh. If you had a 10-year contract, it wouldn't matter, it's a year to year thing, and just keep teaching."