LOS ANGELES -- Andy Green's players view him as one of the smartest people in baseball. As a result, they see the Padres' move Sunday to extend their manager's contract as one of the smartest moves the organization could make.
The Padres announced they signed Green, their second-year manager, to a contract extension through 2021. In the midst of a rebuild, San Diego has locked up the man who will lead its young core into the future.
William Myers, an All-Star in 2016, signed an extension in the offseason that will keep him a Padre through '22. Catcher Austin Hedges and outfielders Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe won't hit free agency until the same year. As the Padres' youth enters its prime, the players know who their manager will be.
"He's one of the more intelligent minds in the game," Myers said. "Just his knowledge of the game is very impressive, so to be able to continue to play for a guy like that is very exciting."
Green, who turned 40 last month, had led the Padres to a 119-159 record entering Sunday's series finale with the Dodgers. The team's rebuild has given Green the opportunity to oversee the growth of several young players.

"We've got a ton of young guys that are going to be a part of this for a long period of time," Green said. "You want to build with them. Probably from a manager's perspective, the most gratifying thing of something like this is that you get to build with people you like and you enjoy working with. You enjoy going to the park, fighting to win baseball games and laughing together. It's affirmation the process is going in the right direction."
After finishing two homers and steals shy of a 30-30 season in 2016, Myers has slumped mightily this year, hitting .207 since May 4. Green has acted as a sounding board, allowing the face of his franchise every opportunity to correct himself.
"He's been great, just listening and talking to me about what's going on," Myers said. "I feel like he's done a great job with that, just be able to have him here and to be able to bounce some ideas off of him. I feel like he's helped me in that way a lot.
"He's a guy that definitely expects a lot out of everyone, and we expect the same."
Green has made his share of unconventional moves as the Padres' manager, including using closer Brad Hand in the seventh earlier this week, but his players view those atypical actions as another sign of his intelligence.
"Everything he does, you realize, 'Man, this guy's sharp,'" Hedges said. "The decisions he makes are quick. He's just a really, really smart guy. He's very poised, under control, and I think he brings the team together really well. Sometimes, he goes out of the box, but I love it. He's got conviction behind every one of his decisions, and that's all really you can ask for."
With consistency locked in at manager, the Padres can continue their build toward the future.
"It's just trust in him," Hedges said. "I think he's earned that trust from everybody. I think [the extension] gives him that reassurance that everybody wants to go play for him for a long time."