The questions about Jim Leyland's contract status are over. Speculation about whether or not his "lame duck" status would become a distraction are now irrelevant. The Detroit Tigers' manager will continue being the Detroit Tigers' manager through 2011, after receiving a two-year extension on Friday afternoon.
And really, this played out the way most of us thought it would during the offseason. If the Tigers got off to a good start, Leyland would probably get his contract extension early in the season. I thought it might wait until the All-Star Break. mostly because that was a natural resting point on the schedule.
So Leyland now has his new contract and the security that comes with it. But will he stay through its entire duration? This is a team that could undergo something of an upheaval over the next couple of years, with Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen having uncertain futures in Detroit. Placido Polanco could move on after this season, as could Adam Everett (though I suspect he'll be back). Is Leyland the right guy to oversee such a transition? Will he want to?
That leads us to this week's poll question:
Will Jim Leyland finish out his new two-year contract?
You can find the poll on the right sidebar below the FanPosts block. Or you can vote here. And if you have suggestions for future poll questions, shoot me an e-mail. Please add your thoughts in the comments.
How did our last poll go?
We had ourselves a landslide. The poll questions can't always be gems, I suppose.
Should the Tigers release Magglio Ordonez?
36% Yes - He's too expensive
63% No - He's still playing good baseball