‘It just felt right’: Terry Francona ready to lead the Cincinnati Reds
The Reds officially introduced Terry Francona as their new manager on Monday, just one year after he retired last season. The 65-year-old landed a three-year pact with Cincinnati and talked about the connection he instantly had with the organization at the start of the courting process.
“When the Reds reached out, I started looking at the team a little more closely, and they came out to visit, and it just felt right,” Francona told reporters Monday. “And it felt right from pretty close to the beginning of the meeting.”
Francona admitted to reporters that he didn’t see himself managing again; he also acknowledged he needed the year away from the game.
“I stepped away because I didn’t think I was doing the job up to the caliber I thought was necessary,” he said. “A lot of it was health, and it was getting in the way.”
The future Hall of Fame manager has dealt with health issues over the last few years. He had a rip replaced in 2021, forcing him to miss the second half of that season, and also had surgery on his toe. In 2020, he landed in the ICU with a blood clot problem while also dealing with gastrointestinal issues.
Francona has been a major league manager for 23 seasons with the Phillies (1997-2000), Red Sox (2004-11), Indians/Guardians (2013-23), and now the Reds. He owns a 1,950-1,672 record and is a two-time World Series champion. He took Cleveland to the playoffs in seven of the 11 seasons he was there and won 921 games.
He now takes over a young Reds team loaded with talent that is coming off a 77-85 record last season.
“My promise to the organization and to the fans is that I’ll spend all my energy ensuring that (players) spend all their energy trying to play the game right and with respect,” Francona said. “One of my biggest goals is that our players feel like they’re cared for more than ever before but at the same time asking more of them on the field than has ever been done before.”
The Reds have not won a World Series since 1990 and haven’t won a playoff series since 1995. Outside of the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, the Reds haven’t reached the postseason since 2013. With a roster that features Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene, along with Matt McLain, Jonathan India, Tyler Stephenson, and Spencer Steer, Francona will hopefully lead the Reds to a deep postseason run.
“One of my biggest goals is to have our players feel like they’re cared for more than ever before, but at the same time, asking more of them on the field than has ever been done before," Francona said. "We need to find ways to value what it takes to be successful and win more than every other team we play against.”
