"Niners CEO Jed York drew criticism last year for hiring in-house candidate Trent Baalke as general manager after what appeared to be a less-than-exhaustive search.

Thirteen months later, there was no public carping Friday after York announced that he'd signed Baalke to a three-year contract extension that will run through the 2016 season. The move smacked of inevitability after Baalke netted a stellar draft class and made a series of deft moves in free agency that helped set the stage for the 49ers' 13-3 regular season. Baalke was named Executive of the Year by Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association.

In announcing Baalke's extension via Twitter, York could even joke about the ease with which they came to an agreement.

"Contentious contract negotiation w/ Trent over dinner," he wrote. "Didn't finalize terms until after we finished the chips & salsa."

York also announced that he's handed over the title of team president to Gideon Yu, who, he said, was also a minority owner. Yu was sold a 1 percent stake in the team, the San Jose Mercury News reported in December. Hired as the team's chief strategy officer in April, Yu is the former chief financial officer at Facebook and YouTube. He will be responsible for all business operations, which includes the construction of a new stadium in Santa Clara, scheduled to open by 2015."