MONTREAL -- John Gibbons has been rewarded for a pair of back-to-back trips to the American League Championship Series with a contract extension.Toronto officially signed Gibbons to a two-year contract extension prior to Saturday afternoon's game against the Pirates. His two-year deal will kick in at the end of the season and it also includes a club option for 2020. 
The deal had been expected for months and was more or less complete a couple of weeks ago. Gibbons talked midway through Spring Training about what the extension meant to him, but it technically didn't become official until the weekend series in Montreal."As far as success on the field, [the] ultimate goal is win a championship, and hopefully more than that," Gibbons said during a Saturday-morning news conference to announce the signing. "We've come close to getting to the World Series the last couple of years, and [winning the World Series is] what you want to do."Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins provided the first clue that a new deal would be forthcoming during last year's end-of-the-season news conference. When asked about Gibbons' job security, Atkins responded that not only would his manager return for 2017, but that the club would also reach out to start negotiations on a new deal.It was with Gibbons' blessing that the Blue Jays initially put those contract talks on hold so the front office could focus on more pressing issues. Toronto had nine free agents and multiple holes on the 25-man roster that needed to be filled, and during an offseason that was slow to develop, some of those moves didn't happen until the final week before Spring Training.With the start of the regular season just days away, the focus shifted back to Gibbons. The native of Texas was hired by former GM Alex Anthopoulos prior to the 2013 season, but he has since built a strong working relationship with the club's new front office. Atkins frequently cites Gibbons' in-game decisions and ability to manage the personalities inside Toronto's clubhouse as some of his biggest strengths."I always hear about the lame-duck status," Gibbons said. "I don't know if it really changes anything in the room. But as an individual, if you have that in the back of your mind, I don't know if you'd do things differently. ... Security can be a good thing, but it can be a bad thing."Some take that for granted and back off. I certainly don't plan on doing that. My family is happy, put it that way."Gibbons is set to begin the fifth year of his second stint as the Blue Jays' skipper -- and his ninth overall at the helm of the team. The former Mets catcher managed the team from 2004-08 before returning to Toronto in '13 to lead Toronto to its first postseason appearance in 21 years in '15.The 54-year-old Gibbons owns a career 644-614 record as the Blue Jays' manager, with those 644 victories ranking second behind Cito Gaston (894-837) in franchise history.
Gregor Chisholm/MLB.com
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