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Terry Francona and the Reds seemed too perfect for each other
Francona left Cleveland last year to address ongoing health issues that made the rigors of long seasons difficult.
A year after he stepped away from baseball to focus on his health, Terry Francona will be back in the dugout to manage the Cincinnati Reds, who introduced him at a news conference Monday.
When he stepped down as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in September 2023, Francona did not rule out a return to the dugout, but he admitted Monday he was not committed to one, either. The 65-year-old left Cleveland for long stretches to address ongoing health issues that made the rigors of long seasons difficult. But when the Reds contacted him, the baseball bug struck again.
“It felt right pretty close to the beginning of the meeting,” Francona said. “We probably talked for five hours. My palms were sweating. I wanted to put my uniform on. It felt right.”
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He acknowledged Monday he had not been able to give the Guardians his all at the end.
“I honestly didn’t see myself managing again. I had a really good year away from the game. I needed to step away,” Francona said Monday. “I didn’t step away because I didn’t love the game. I stepped away because I wasn’t doing the job up to the caliber I felt was necessary. Some of it was health. A lot of it was health.”
Francona said he spent the year taking care of himself. He underwent surgeries, and instead of rushing to recover by spring training, he took time to rebuild his stamina.
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“I feel like I’m in a position where I can have enough energy to do the job the way I think you’re supposed to,” Francona said. “Because that wasn’t how it was at the end in Cleveland, and like I said, I felt like I was shortchanging people.”
Even as Francona battled physically, he helped mold Cleveland into one of baseball’s more consistent low-budget winners, and he left with more wins than all but 12 managers in major league history. So when the underachieving but similarly promising Reds needed someone to replace David Bell, Francona, who guided the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series titles, was the most proven available choice.
“I didn’t know it was a possibility. It was a feeling-out process,” Reds General Manager Nick Krall said. “But when we sat down and started talking, it just seemed really natural. We had a great conversation right from the beginning. I felt good almost out the chute. And when Terry started using ‘we, we, we’ in the conversation, I was like, man, we’re on the same page here.”
And as Francona learned more about the Reds, he started to feel their young, talented roster might be a perfect fit for him, too.
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“That excites me a lot,” Francona said. “Talking to them on the phone, I got pretty fired up. They seem like terrific kids. They seem eager. And again, this is a week after a long season. I had to remind myself that.”
The Reds were one of the more desirable landing spots for potential candidates: At the moment, only the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins are in the market for new managers. Neither is nearly as close to contention as the Reds.
More openings could emerge, though the general managers of several teams who underachieved in 2024 have committed to keeping their skippers.
Minnesota Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey committed to Rocco Baldelli despite the Twins’ late-season collapse. Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington said he recommended that ownership keep Derek Shelton as manager for 2025, though he acknowledged both he and Shelton should face scrutiny after another lost season.
Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde was not exactly on the hot seat after two of the best seasons in recent Baltimore history, but General Manager Mike Elias confirmed Thursday that another early playoff exit would not change that. And after replacing Scott Servais with Dan Wilson late in the season, the Mariners seem willing to give Wilson a chance as manager through at least 2025.
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Among other teams that did not contend this year, the Colorado Rockies have seemed committed to Bud Black as long as the affable veteran wants to manage them. The Washington Nationals announced their entire coaching staff will return around Dave Martinez. St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said Oli Marmol will return in 2025.
Minds could still change. The offseason is long. Playoff teams often decide to change managers, too. For example: Yankees Manager Aaron Boone always seems to be in peril, and anything short of a World Series appearance will constitute disappointment, especially after the Astros’ early exit.
But this offseason probably will have far less managerial turnover than many in recent years. Of the jobs guaranteed to be open, the Reds offered the best chance to win soon. With Francona jumping on the opportunity, former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is without a clear future home.
The next month will be telling. Teams often postpone decisions on dugout leadership beyond the postseason. Because of MLB’s desire to preserve the spotlight for its postseason, teams are not technically allowed to announce major personnel changes on most October days anyway.
But with no games Friday, the stage was clear. Francona instantly becomes the second-winningest active manager behind Bruce Bochy. The Reds instantly look like a more formidable 2025 contender. Neither had much reason to wait.
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