The Angels have ushered in the new year with a new deal for their manager, having reached agreement with Mike Scioscia on a contract extension carrying through the 2012 season.

"It's something we've worked on for some time, and basically we got it done," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said on Monday afternoon. "It's an agreement in principle, and we're not going to release the terms. We never release the terms of contracts. I'll just say we're looking forward to having him here for a while."

Scioscia, 50, is signed through 2009 with a club option for 2010 at an estimated $2 million.

Owner Arte Moreno and Reagins carved out the terms of the extension with Scioscia.

"It shows our level of commitment not only to Mike, but to our fans, as far as the stability of winning is concerned," Reagins said. "If you look at what he's done over the nine years he's been here, he's one of the top two or three most productive managers in the game."

In his nine seasons, Scioscia has produced a franchise-record 803 wins against 655 losses. His .551 winning percentage is second to Bobby Cox (.557) among active managers and 22nd all-time.

In addition to orchestrating the franchise's lone World Series championship in 2002, Scioscia has guided teams to four American League West titles in the past five years.

Prior to Scioscia being named manager in 2000, the Angels had won three division titles in their first 39 seasons.

Scioscia was second on 12 ballots in 2008 AL Manager of the Year voting and third on nine in what clearly was one of his finest performances during the most successful managerial run in franchise history.

"The decision-making process gets much cleaner with experience," Scioscia said of his evolution as a manager. "You get more input from your staff, and options become much more defined. That helps you to hopefully make cleaner decisions."

The Angels led the Majors in wins (100) and road wins (50) in 2008 and forged the game's best record in close games, going 61-28 in contests decided by two or fewer runs to pave the way for Francisco Rodriguez's record 62 saves.

With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar starting the season on the disabled list and the Mariners seemingly loaded after the acquisition of starter Erik Bedard from the Orioles, the Angels were not the popular choice of experts to defend their AL West title. They took off around midseason and won in a cool breeze, clinching 18 days before the season was over.

Scioscia's handprints were everywhere, as always. He transformed Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders from back-of-the-rotation guys into twin aces in the absence of Lackey and Escobar. The skipper incorporated new blood -- free-agent center fielder Torii Hunter and first baseman Mark Teixeira, acquired in a July 29 deal with the Braves -- and allowed it to blend naturally, seamlessly with the familiar nucleus of talent produced by the organization.

Lackey came back after missing six weeks with a triceps strain, but Escobar was lost for the season with shoulder surgery. Escobar hopes to be back around midseason.

With K-Rod heading off to New York to pitch for the Mets, Scioscia will have a new closer in 2009. Free-agent acquisition Brian Fuentes is expected to get the first call. The Angels' lineup will have a different look as well with Teixeira going to the Yankees and Garret Anderson, a fixture in the outfield for 13 years, likely departing as a free agent.

Scioscia is the only manager Lackey has known since arriving in the Majors in 2002 during the magical ride to the title.

"He's confident in his players and loyal to guys who've done well here," Lackey said. "We have guys coming from other places, and even if they struggle, he sticks with them, lets them know he believes in them.

"His confidence in me has been a big factor in me being a successful pitcher at this level. He put me in some big situations that year [2002] and I did well. The next few years were up and down for me, but he stuck with me. That meant a lot."

Scioscia commands the dugout with the authority and tenacity that made him one of the game's premier catchers with the Dodgers from 1980 through 1992. He was behind the plate during the 1981 and 1988 championship seasons at Chavez Ravine.

"He always has a reason for everything he does," bench coach Ron Roenicke said. "You may not agree with it, and I may not agree with it. But he knows why he is doing everything he does. He has thought it out thoroughly.

"Mike's got a great game sense. He always knows what can happen in a given situation. When he was catching, he controlled the game -- the pitcher, the infield, everything. He was preparing for this all along. That's why he stresses the pitcher-catcher relationship. It's his background, his history. He knows how important it is."

The Angels' season ended in Boston in Game 4 of the AL Division Series after a suicide squeeze play backfired and the Red Sox prevailed, 3-2, with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Scioscia defended the decision after Erick Aybar was unable to get the bunt down on a 2-0 pitch, resulting in Reggie Willits getting tagged out in a rundown.

"I feel the same way," Scioscia said. "I think it's a high-percentage play, and, unfortunately, it didn't work out. There's no second guessing."

This is the way the Angels have played the game -- aggressively, consistently and effectively -- throughout the Scioscia era.