Late Thursday night, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the Cincinnati Reds are hiring Terry Francona to be their next manager. As of publishing, Feinsand said that the club has not confirmed the news.
The 65-year-old Francona was last seen manning the Cleveland dugout, where he stepped down as Guardians manager after the 2023 season.
After taking the year off in 2024, “Tito” will make his return to the game with his fourth different ballclub as skipper (Phillies, 1997-2000; Red Sox, 2004-11; Indians/Guardians, 2013-23).
Over his 23 previous seasons as a manager at the big league level, Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record, winning two World Series while in Boston in 2004 and 2007.
He won one more American League Pennant after leaving Boston, taking Cleveland to the World Series in 2016. His team ultimately fell to the Chicago Cubs in seven games, as they won their first world series in 108 years.
Francona's hiring comes 11 days after the Reds parted ways with David Bell, a position he held since 2019.
Red Sox fans will get a chance to see Francona at Fenway Park next season, as Boston will host the Reds for a three-game series June 30th to July 2nd.
This isn’t Francona’s first rodeo in Cincinnati, as he played for the Reds in 1987 under his late manager Pete Rose. He batted .227 in 207 plate appearances that season - not exactly a performance worthy of the “Hit King” in the dugout.
On Tuesday, Francona joined Courtney Finnicum on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. You can check out the full episode right here.
Stay locked-in to the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast and WEEI.com for all the latest on this developing story.