Terry Francona returns to baseball as Reds manager

Terry Francona needed some time away from baseball. A year was long enough.

One of baseball's most beloved managers, Francona has been hired by the Cincinnati Reds, returning to a team he played for after stepping down in Cleveland following last season because of health reasons.

The Reds announced the hiring Friday morning. Francona signed a three-year contract with an option in 2028.

Francona, who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, is replacing David Bell, fired by the Reds last month in the final days of his sixth season. Bell went 409-456 during his tenure.

Francona, who turns 66 in April, played as an outfielder for Cincinnati in 1987. He hit .227 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 102 games.

It’s easy to see the appeal of the situation for both Francona and Cincinnati. The Reds went 77-85 this year, but they have one of the game’s most dynamic players in Elly De La Cruz and a potentially deep rotation fronted by Hunter Greene.

Francona helped All-Star third baseman José Ramírez become one of baseball’s best all-around players in Cleveland, and he should have no problem commanding the attention of Cincinnati’s young roster.

After leaving the Guardians, Francona, a three-time AL Manager of the Year, spent time at his new home in Arizona and mostly kept a low profile other than attending basketball games at his alma mater in Tucson. He returned to Cleveland briefly during the summer to help launch a new restaurant in which he has an ownership stake.

Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record in 23 years as a big league manager with Philadelphia (1997-2000), the Red Sox (2004-2011) and Guardians (2013-2023).

He was slowed by serious medical issues in his final years in Cleveland but stayed clear of calling his departure a retirement.

“I never was real concerned about the word retire,” he said last year. “I guess when you say retire, it’s like, well, you’re going home and not doing anything. Don’t feel that way either. We’ll figure something out that makes sense."

He found that something on the other side of Ohio.

With 1,950 wins, he’s 13th on the career list, sandwiched by Casey Stengel (1,905) and Leo Durocher (2,008), two other colourful managers who like Francona endeared themselves to fans and players.

Francona’s rise as one of the game’s best managers was somewhat unexpected.

Things didn’t go particularly well for him in Philadelphia, where he had four straight losing seasons, got constantly booed in a demanding, sports-crazed city and had the tires on his car slashed on fan appreciation day.

He was an unlikely choice for Boston’s job, but he immediately claimed legendary status by winning the World Series in his first season.

The Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit in the AL Championship Series and swept St. Louis to end an 86-year championship drought and exorcise the “Curse of the Bambino,” a perceived hex on the team after Babe Ruth was sold to the rival New York Yankees.

When his tenure in Boston ended in 2011 amid some controversy, Francona took a year off and worked in broadcasting before going to Cleveland, where his dad, Tito, spent six seasons and he himself played 62 games in 1988.

Francona took Cleveland to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons and won 921 games. The Guardians, then known as the Indians, made it to the World Series in 2016, only to lose to the Chicago Cubs in a seven-game series.

Known as Tito, Francona became popular in Cleveland with his quick wit and affable personality. He rode a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark each day, often waving to fans along his sort route.

Francona could have taken jobs elsewhere but felt a deep connection with Cleveland's organization after his dad played for the Indians in the late 1950s and early '60s. He was forced to take two lengthy leaves of absence with Cleveland in 2020 while dealing with heart and gastrointestinal issues.

For his final game with the Guardians on Sept. 27 last season, the club handed out "Thank you Tito” T-shirts to fans at Progressive Field and the Guardians sent him out in style with a 4-3 win — over the Reds.

Afterward, Francona said he needed a break.

“I just think the timing is good,” he said. “I’m just kind of beat up physically, and it’s hard to do this job right or the way I want to do it. I don’t want to shortchange anybody. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

His hiring by the Reds also coincides with the Guardians finishing with the AL's second-best record under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, who had the difficult task of trying to replace a Cleveland icon.

The Guardians open the AL Division Series against Detroit on Saturday.