The Reds are hiring Terry Francona as their subsequent supervisor, per a report from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The membership has not but confirmed the information, however Feinsand signifies an announcement is anticipated as quickly as tomorrow. Per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Francona’s contract is a three-year deal.
Francona, 65, is among the many most adorned managers within the league’s latest historical past. After a four-year stint managing the Phillies within the late 90s, Francona joined the Crimson Sox as supervisor previous to the 2004 season and piloted the membership to their curse-breaking World Collection championship in 2004. He went on to spend eight seasons in Boston, making the postseason in 5 of these years (together with one other World Collection championship in 2007) whereas by no means posting a below-.500 season. He parted methods with the Crimson Sox previous to the 2011 season, nevertheless, and spent the following 12 months away from managing with 4 top-5 finishes in AL Supervisor of the 12 months voting to his identify along with a pair of World Collection rings.
He returned to managing only a 12 months after departing Boston, nevertheless, and spent the following 11 seasons in Cleveland. Francona’s tenure with the membership was nothing in need of magnificent, as he piloted the small-market franchise into constant competition regardless of appreciable payroll restrictions. Throughout Francona’s tenure as supervisor, Cleveland loved postseason baseball in six seasons whereas rattling off eight consecutive successful seasons and even reaching Sport 7 of the World Collection in 2016.
Whereas the membership in the end fell to the Cubs in further innings and was unable to seize one other AL pennant throughout Francona’s tenure, their 2017 marketing campaign was nearly as spectacular in some methods as Francona led them by way of a 22-game win streak that’s the longest in AL historical past and second solely to the 1916 New York Giants’ 26-game win streak in MLB historical past. Francona’s 11 seasons with Cleveland noticed him win three Supervisor of the 12 months awards as he captured the consideration in 2013, 2016, and most just lately in 2022 when he piloted the Guardians to an unlikely AL Central division title and inside one recreation of the membership’s first ALCS since 2016.
Francona’s time with the Guardians got here to an finish when he stepped down following the 2023 season amid long-standing well being points. On the time of his departure from the supervisor’s chair, Francona indicated to reporters (together with these at ESPN) that his precedence for 2024 was to “go dwelling and get wholesome and see what I miss in regards to the recreation.” Clearly, the veteran skipper has determined that he misses being on the helm of a giant league dugout as he’ll now return to Ohio as supervisor of the Reds, his first NL job since departing the Phillies in 2000.
He joins up with Cincinnati following a disappointing season that noticed the membership take a step again from final 12 months’s 82-80 effort with a 77-85 season regardless of main breakouts for each star shortstop Elly De La Cruz and hard-throwing righty Hunter Greene. Accidents to key items like Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand possible performed a job within the membership’s struggles however no matter hopes the membership could have for health-related enchancment subsequent 12 months wasn’t sufficient to persuade the entrance workplace to retain David Bell, who missed the playoffs in 5 of his six seasons with the Reds. The membership’s managerial search reportedly included youthful names corresponding to former Cubs skipper David Ross and departing Marlins supervisor Skip Schumaker, however the Reds will as an alternative lean on Francona’s a long time of expertise as a way to flip issues round for the group.
With Francona now in place, the Reds have now addressed maybe the largest query mark going through them this winter as they appear in the direction of the offseason with loads of different hurdles that can have to be addressed. Chief amongst these could possibly be their TV income state of affairs, as Diamond Sports activities is reportedly planning to chop ties with the membership, which might depart their monetary image unsure headed into 2025. That’s a irritating state of affairs for any membership, however maybe particularly for a Reds crew that already runs among the many league’s decrease payrolls and figures to lose Nick Martinez to the open market later this winter on the heels of a wonderful 2024 marketing campaign that noticed him assist shore up each the membership’s rotation and bullpen all year long.
