Ned Colletti received a long-term contract extension the other day, putting an end to talks of what will happen once the season is over. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The higher-ups with the Dodgers did the smart thing here, as Colletti should be commended for his stellar work as general manager. They've reached the postseason in three of his four years, including back-to-back NL West division titles.
Sure, it didn't start off so well. His deals with Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones are legendary for how bad they were. Schmidt battled a million injuries, winning only three games in three years, and Jones was so atrociously bad, it may have been the worst free agent signing in history.
But, there's also been plenty of good deals. Trading for Manny Ramirez last year injected the entire organization with a jolt of excitement. He also signed Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, and Randy Wolf recently, and they've been great this season. Convincing Joe Torre to switch coasts was a huge move as well.
During this season, he seemed to push all the right buttons. He either signed or traded for George Sherrill, Jim Thome, Vicente Padilla, Ronnie Belliard, and Jon Garland. They've all contributed in various ways.
At the end of the day, what is perhaps the smartest move he made? That would be doing nothing at all with his young stars. Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and Jonathan Broxton are all huge pieces of the pie. Who knows how many times he's been tempted to trade them for veterans, but he's done the right thing in standing pat.
The bottom line is the the Dodgers have made big strides in recent years, and Colletti has been right in the middle of all of that. He deserves the extension he just signed.
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