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Braves offseason 2012: Fredi Gonzalez was 'never worried' about contract extension

Fredi Gonzalez will manage the Braves through 2014, according to the terms of the contract extension signed with the team. He wasn't worried about that, he says, having dealt with year-to-year instability throughout his managerial career.

Kevin C. Cox

The Atlanta Braves signed a two-year extension on manager Fredi Gonzalez's contract on Wednesday, securing the services of Gonzalez through 2014. Gonzalez has a 183-141 record with the club, and a 459-420 record over his six-year managerial career.

Gonzalez may have a winning record with Atlanta, but his tenure has been mixed. The Braves threw away a substantial wild card lead in 2011, dropping out of playoff contention on the final day of the regular season. 2012 featured a much stronger finish, but the team was eliminated from the playoffs in the one-game wild card play-in.

Had the Braves not signed the extension, Gonzalez would have been entering the final year of his contract. That wouldn't have bothered him very much, he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"It was a nice thing that the Braves did. But I've never worried about that last-year-of-the-contract type deal because, hell, for all the years in the minor leagues and as a [major league] coach, you're on a one-year contract. I never worried about that.

"The thing that I like about it is that your coaching staff, who are working with one-year contracts, they feel better that - not that I'm Bobby [Cox] or Tony [La Russa] - but I love ‘em all, and as long as I'm here they know at least I have a voice and they're going to be OK. Even though they don't have a two-year contract, they're going to be OK. I feel better for them that way than for myself."

Prior to his time with Atlanta, Gonzalez was at the helm of the Miami Marlins. He had a 276-279 record in four years with the team.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.