Report: Phillies extended GM before season

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak apparently received a vote of confidence prior to the 2019 campaign.

Klentak received a three-year contract extension in March, sources told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The deal will keep him in his current position through the 2022 season.

The club hired Klentak in October 2015 and has a record of 266-315 since then. Despite the losing record, team officials were reportedly happy to be in contention for a playoff spot last season in the third year of a rebuild.

Klentak wasn't the only member of the front office to receive such an extension, though, as the Phillies signed president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail to a similar three-year deal in late 2017, Gelb reports.

Philadelphia was very active this past offseason, as it welcomed Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen via free agency and added J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura through trades. Many believed those moves made the team a powerhouse in the National League.

The Phillies (49-46) enter Wednesday's action 8 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the division and a half-game up on the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL's second wild-card spot.