Bowden Is Given a Six-Month Extension

General Manager Jim Bowden was given a six-month contract extension by the Washington Nationals on Thursday, a deal that allows him to oversee off-season moves while new ownership is pending.

Bowden’s old contract was set to expire Monday; the new one lasts through the end of April.

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Ace right-hander Jason Schmidt and outfielder Randy Winn will return next season with the San Francisco Giants, who picked up both players’ contract options for 2006.

Outfielder Moises Alou, second baseman Ray Durham and right-handed reliever LaTroy Hawkins also exercised their player options to return for next season.

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As expected, New York Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman agreed to a three-year contract worth more than $5 million to remain with the team. Cashman wants to be in charge of all baseball decisions, and believes he has been given assurance that will remain the case.

“We’ve all suffered this past year in different ways because of the splintering,” he said. “I want to be that filter that everything goes through me.”