The Milwaukee Brewers today announced contract extensions for executive president and general manager Doug Melvin and manager Ron Roenicke.
The club also announced that Melvin has been promoted to president of baseball operations.
Melvin’s extension carries through the 2015 season, while Roenicke’s contract will go through 2014 with a club option for 2015.
Melvin was named to his post on Sept. 26, 2002, and is in his 10th season with the Brewers. He was named the 2011 Major League Executive of the Year by Baseball America after the Brewers won a franchise-record 96 games and advanced to the National League Championship Series. He was also named Co-Executive of the Year by The Sporting News and won the Rube Foster Legacy Award, presented by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to the National League’s top executive.
“In two of the past four years we reached significant milestones by advancing to the postseason, and we have reached a point where we expect to field a perennially competitive team. This was one of my highest priorities when I first became involved with the Milwaukee Brewers, and we could not have accomplished it without the efforts of Doug Melvin and his Baseball Operations staff,” said Brewers chairman and principal owner Mark Attanasio. “Doug is one of the most respected leaders in the industry, and he is a key resource for me as we continue to work toward building a championship team.”
In Melvin’s tenure with the Brewers, he has engineered many key trades and signings, including trading for four of the game’s top pitchers – CC Sabathia, Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and Francisco Rodriguez. Each of the four played critical roles in helping the Brewers advance to postseason play (2008 and 2011).
In addition, he signed many of the team’s key, home-grown players to long-term contracts prior to their free agent years, including Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo, Corey Hart, Jonathan Lucroy and Rickie Weeks.
“I want to thank Mark Attanasio and his ownership group for their confidence in me and my staff, and for their support year in and year out,” Melvin said. “I believe we have built a winning culture here at the Brewers, and we embrace the higher expectations that naturally come along with that change. I also want to thank the fans of this team as they over-deliver in every way. Milwaukee is a very special city to me and my family, and we are proud to call it home.”
Roenicke was named the 18th manager in franchise history on Nov. 4, 2010. The 2011 campaign marked his first as a Major League manager, and he led the Brewers to their first division title since 1982 and a franchise record of 96 wins. The club defeated Arizona in the National League Division Series in five games to advance to the National League Championship Series.
“Ron has been a tremendous addition to our staff and his leadership is instrumental in not only guiding a successful team, but also developing one of the best clubhouse environments in all of baseball,” Melvin said. “He and his staff have worked tirelessly to put us in a great position to win, and he has been very supportive of everything we are looking to accomplish. On behalf of Mark Attanasio and everyone in the organization, we congratulate Ron on his extension and look forward to what believe will be continued
“I want to thank Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin and everyone else with the Brewers for giving me this opportunity,” Roenicke said. “I also want to thank the players and our coaching staff for their efforts, and just as importantly, our fans for their incredible support.”
