Former Philadelphia Phillies Manager Lands Another Chance with New Team

Former Phillies manager Terry Francona has agreed to become the manager of his fourth MLB team in 2025.

Aaron Josefczyk-Imagn Images

A former Philadelphia Phillies manager has found a new place to call home. 

As the team prepares to host the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), the Phillies and the rest of the baseball world received some interesting news on Thursday evening. The Cincinnati Reds have agreed to terms with former Philadelphia manager Terry Francona to become the club's new skipper. This will mark his 24th year as a major league manager.

Francona managed the Phillies for four seasons from 1997-2000, posting an overall record of 285-363 (.440). During his tenure in Philadelphia, he failed to make the postseason in all four seasons he was in charge of the club and finished last in the NL East in two of the years he was in charge. He never raised the team above third place in the division. He was fired after the 2000 season. 

Francona would then go on to manage the Boston Red Sox beginning in 2004 after serving some time as a bench coach for the Texas Rangers (2002) and Oakland Athletics (2003). He led Boston to two World Series championships in 2004 and in 2007. He stayed with Boston until the end of the 2011 season. 

His last stop was with the Cleveland Guardians, where he managed the club from 2013 to 2023. Francona brought his team to the World Series in 2016 but was defeated by the Chicago Cubs in seven games. He stepped down last season after dealing with some health issues. 

After taking a year off, he will be back in the saddle managing the Cincinnati Reds. He will look to improve the organization, which recently fired manager David Bell. The Reds have not made the postseason since the extended playoffs of 2020. Before that, their last postseason appearance was in 2013. They have not won a playoff round since 1995, and their last World Series victory was in 1990. 

The future Hall of Fame manager has won the Manager of the Year Award three times (2013, 2016, 2022) and was the manager for the 2005 and 2008 American League during the MLB All-Star games.

The Phillies will play the Reds six times in 2025. They will host Cincinnati on July 4th weekend at Citizens Bank Park. The following month, they will travel to Great American Ballpark for the mid-week series beginning on August 11th.