CINCINNATI — Terry Francona wanted to miss it: the office visits from opposing broadcasters, the late-night strategizing for the next day, the late-inning high-wire acts that made his stomach churn. All the elements that made the job of big-league manager a thrill. All the elements that, in recent years, made the job of big-league manager a burden.
He said he needed to step away, regroup and figure out what came next.
But this is a baseball lifer who hadn’t separated himself from the sport since 1991, when Gilligan’s Island reruns and real estate textbooks didn’t scratch his itch. That summer, Buddy Bell yanked him off the couch and into the coaching ranks with the Chicago White Sox as a minor-league hitting instructor. Francona never looked back, compiling a managerial résumé that will eventually land him real estate in Cooperstown.
So, of course, after a long-awaited year in the shadows, it’s back to managing. Francona, 65, will take over as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, replacing none other than Buddy’s son, David Bell.
Because of the youth of the team, the Reds were focused on an experienced manager.
“We’re looking for somebody that can lead this clubhouse,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said after Bell’s dismissal. “We’re looking for somebody that can develop the young players in this clubhouse as we continue to build through scouting and player development.”
Asked specifically about the prospect of luring Francona from retirement, Krall responded: “He’s done a great job as a manager. Again, I don’t have a list at this point.”
The process moved quickly. The Reds reached out to Francona earlier this week, met with him in his home in Tucson, Ariz., and completed their manager search within two weeks of firing Bell. The Reds also had interest in former Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, people briefed on the club’s deliberations told The Athletic, though they didn’t reach the interview stage with him before hiring Francona.
Only 12 managers in league history have racked up more wins than Francona’s 1,950. Ten of them already reside in the Hall of Fame, and Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy figure to join them in the near future.
He recorded a franchise-record 921 of those victories in his 11 seasons in Cleveland before he opted to step away last fall. Francona dealt with heart, foot and gastrointestinal maladies in the latter stages of his tenure, which resulted in extended absences in 2020 and 2021, along with daily challenges in the ensuing years. During his year away from baseball, Francona has lost about 25 pounds and is in good health. He underwent a shoulder replacement and had two hernias repaired.
Francona, who played for the Reds in 1987 under manager Pete Rose, will be taking over a young and talented roster, led by shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
With postseason ambitions entering 2024, the Reds underperformed with several of their breakthrough rookies from the year before taking steps backward, even as De La Cruz developed into one of the top players in baseball.
The Reds rewarded Bell with a three-year extension last season, but the team stumbled down the stretch and missed the playoffs and then underperformed this past season. Cincinatti fired Bell with five games remaining in the season and finished the year 77-85, with Bell going 76-81. In six years, Bell led the team to one playoff appearance and was 409-456 overall.
In Francona, the Reds will have one of the game’s most accomplished managers, as he twice steered the Boston Red Sox to a championship and three times claimed AL Manager of the Year honors in Cleveland. His teams earned playoff berths in five of his eight seasons in Boston and in six of his 11 seasons in Cleveland.
In late September 2023, the Reds witnessed Francona’s final games in Cleveland as the Guardians sputtered to the finish line. Francona’s club finished 76-86, the worst showing by any Francona-led team since his four, forgettable years as the Phillies’ manager in the late ‘90s when, as he loves to detail, fans slashed his tires and booed him out of town.
The Guardians named him a special advisor to the baseball operations department, and he offered guidance during their search to hire his replacement. He has served as a sounding board for the ultimate choice, Stephen Vogt, though Francona has stressed his desire to keep his distance and allow the new manager to establish his own culture.
Vogt directed the Guardians to an AL Central title in his first year, and the club clinched a first-round bye with a win last week against the Reds in Cincinnati’s first game after dismissing Bell.
Upon his departure from Cleveland, Francona said he didn’t “foresee managing” again. He insisted he needed time away from the game to determine his future, and whether managing or some other role would be part of it.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Francona said in an interview room at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. “Nobody does. If I was going to manage, I like doing it here. But I also don’t want to just turn away from the game. I don’t feel that way, either.”
Exactly one year after speaking those words, Francona’s retirement is over, and his familiar spot in a big league dugout awaits.
(Top photo of Guardians manager Terry Francona: Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
