SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Jon Daniels received a two-year contract extension running through the 2011 season as the Rangers general manager on Friday.

Daniels was the youngest general manager in Major League history at 28 years, 41 days when he was appointed the Rangers general manager on Oct. 4, 2005.

Daniels received his contract extension the same day the Rangers finalized a four-year contract with Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan as club president.

"Our relationship has been very good to this point," Ryan said. "I think it will stay that way. I'm not a micromanager. I'm a believer that people are given latitude and do their jobs. That's the way I'm going to approach this. I've enjoyed working with him and getting to know him.

"I think what it [contract extension] says is that Jon is very capable as general manager. We want to work to establish a working relationship that we look as a long-term relationship. I've probably spent more time with him than anybody in the organization. I think he's very thorough. I think he's very intelligent and that he has a passion. I think if you're going to be in this game and be successful you have to have a passion for it. If you don't have a passion, it won't work."

Club owner Tom Hicks likes the pairing of Daniels, 30, with Ryan, 61.

"JD is smart," Hicks said Friday. "He thinks out of the box. He just doesn't have the experience. A couple of his do-overs were due to lack of experience. That won't happen again with Nolan."

Daniels, who is a Cornell graduate with a degree in applied economics and management, is a native of New York City. Ryan grew up in Texas, is a cattle rancher, a Hall of Fame pitcher and threw a Major League-record seven no-hitters.

"Obviously, Nolan and I have dramatically different backgrounds, but I think the biggest connection instantly was the passion of the game and philosophically how we believe in building the franchise," Daniels said. "... The opening meeting with our staff he was tremendous. His message really disarmed any apprehension anybody had about going forward.

"He's been tremendously successful, on and off the field, with his other businesses -- and he still has a lot on his plate with the business side of it and the fan experience and all of that. Even more so than the contract, just from the conversations with each other and knowing we're on the same page is even more reassuring. We agree we've got to continue to build from within; we've got to develop our own players. I agree on that 100 percent. There is a time and place when we will certainly go out and look at the right finishing pieces, the right character pieces."

Daniels made shrewd deals last year at the trading deadline to restock the Rangers Minor League system and add young players to the Major League roster, acquiring Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Beau Jones and Neftali Feliz from the Braves for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay and David Murphy, Kason Gabbard and Engle Beltre from the Red Sox for Eric Gagne.

"I think the biggest thing is the positive statement about the work our scouts and development folks have done and the direction we're headed," Daniels said of his contract extension. "It's reaffirmation from top to bottom, ownership, from every scout, coach, front office, medical staff, that we're all on the same page and have a very clear vision and have a very clear identity who we are as a franchise."

Daniels does have one regret about Ryan, who broke into the Majors in 1966 with the Mets.

"I grew up a Mets fans, so I was always a little bitter that he didn't spend his whole career there," Daniels said.