So, it appears the Pittsburgh Pirates are set to extend manager Clint Hurdle’s contract an addition year with an option for 2015.

That very well may have been the best move by the Pirates in the offseason.

Hurdle is in the final season of a three-year deal he signed in November of 2010.

The Pirates are willing to commit to Hurdle, much the way he did when he dropped out of the running for the Mets’ vacant managerial job in favor of Pittsburgh following that 2010 season.

While Hurdle has been part of the Pirates’ 19th and 20th consecutive losing seasons, most of that blame cannot lie on him.

The team suffered a July swoon in 2011 which saw it finish at 72-90. Last year, the Pirates were 16 games over .500 in August before folding to 79-83.

Two key points to remember — the Pirates were a major-league worst 57-105 in 2010, the year before Hurdle arrived, and last year’s record tied the team’s best over that 20-year losing skid.

Despite the late-season collapses, Hurdle has helped the Pirates become relevant in the summer again.

I know that may not sound like a lot, but over the past two years, baseball became fun again. Baseball mattered.

If you found yourself down at PNC Park in the summer, the buzz was back. I can’t recall too many times in the past 20 years you could say that.

The Pirates, for most of their season anyway, were the reason to attend the game, not just to take in and tour “The Best Stadium in Baseball.”

Hurdle, 55, has gone 151-173 in his two years with the Pirates and is 685-798 in 10 years as a manager. He guided the Colorado Rockies to an amazing late-season rush and rode that momentum all the way to a World Series appearance.

This season, the Pirates added a few more pieces to the puzzle, adding catcher Russell Martin and left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano, the latter at a low-risk, incentive-laden contract.

Plus, the team has its core of hitters back in Andrew McCutchen (31 HR, 96 RBIs, 107 R, 20 SB, .327 AVG), Garrett Jones (27 HR, 86 RBIs), Pedro Alrarez (30 HR, 85 RBIs) and Neil Walker (14 HR, 69 RBIs, .280 AVG), along with potential star Starling Marte in the outfield.

On the mound, A.J. Burnett anchors the staff in the final year of his contract, along with Wandy Rodriguez and James McDonald thrown into the mix with first-round picks Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon as potential mid-season call-ups.

Most Pirates fans will wonder if this is the year they break through for a winning season.

With Hurdle, the Pirates have their best chance to succeed and the greater hope that, of course, this could be the year.

Locking up Hurdle gives the team some continuity and stability at the helm, something the Pirates have lacked since the Jim Leyland days, which we now refer to as the good ’ole days.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.