Reds to Hire Former Guardians Skipper Terry Francona As New Manager

"Tito" reportedly will be back in an MLB dugout after stepping down from the Guardians' job in 2023.

Francona owns a career 1,950–1,672 record as an MLB manager. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

It appears "Tito" is coming out of retirement.

MLB Network's Mark Feinsand reported Thursday night that the Cincinnati Reds plan to hire Terry Francona as their next manager. The move is expected to be officially announced on Friday.

The 65-year-old Francona has been a manager in the big leagues for 23 seasons while wearing three different uniforms—the Philadelphia Phillies (1997 to 2000), Boston Red Sox (2004 to '11) and Cleveland Guardians (2013 to '23). Over those 23 years, Francona has posted 1,950 wins and a .538 career winning percentage. He led the Red Sox to two World Series championships in 2004 and '07.

Francona stepped down from his position as manager of the Guardians following the 2023 season. He has dealt with health problems over the last few years, with blood clotting issues in 2020 and hip replacement surgery in 2021 that caused him to miss significant time in Cleveland.

But after one year off, it appears Francona wants to be back in an MLB dugout.

The Reds fired manager David Bell in September after he spent six seasons leading the dugout. Cincinnati, despite featuring one of the most exciting young cores in baseball, hasn't made the playoffs since 2020 and hasn't won a postseason game since 2012.

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