Tigers Executive Reveals A.J. Hinch Has Signed Another Contract Extension

The Detroit Tigers have brought a swift end to any questions about their manager's future.

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Anyone who may have been speculating about the future of Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch got their answer beyond any shadow of a doubt on Monday morning.

During a press conference for both Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris to wrap up the season, Harris revealed that Hinch had already signed an extension. That is now the second time since he arrived prior to the 2021 season that he has been extended.

While the Tigers do not publicly reveal the salary information of their coaches and executives, it's safe to say Hinch is being paid like one of the best managers in baseball. According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic (subscription required), the original contract that was signed in 2020 was believed to go through the 2025 season, but given that this is the second time the team has proactively extended Hinch, it is likely he is now locked up for the foreseeable future.

Hinch Has Been Key Figure in Tigers Rebuild

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Fans who were upset with the way things fell off the rails at the end of the year were justified in demanding answers for surrendering the division to the Cleveland Guardians despite a 15.5-game lead. But despite that, Hinch's job was never going to be in any kind of danger since the organization clearly thinks highly of him.

"We have proactively extended him twice because we want him to be here a long time," Harris said.

While Hinch made some decisions down the stretch and in the playoffs that some fans called questionable, his analytical strategy and prioritizing matchups matches the vision of the front office and the way the team was built.

Hinch Must Now Help Detroit Take Next Step

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With a 394-416 record in five seasons as the Tigers manager, Hinch has turned the franchise around. Alongside Harris, he has brought a new standard of baseball to the Motor City.

At the same time, Detroit has now been eliminated in two straight years at the exact same point of the postseason, and this year's comes off of an atrocious blown divisional lead with a chance to claim the American League Central for the first time in a decade.

A more complete season next year -- potentially the last with Tarik Skubal -- is going to be asked out of the Tigers, as they try to lock up the elusive division title and make an even deeper run in October.
What is no longer a question though is their commitment to Hinch, and he will likely be at the helm for a very long time in Detroit.