CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Terry Francona won’t call it a retirement.
He also won’t say goodbye.
But Francona’s days as manager of the Cleveland Guardians have come to an end after 11 seasons.
“I never was real concerned about the word retire,” Francona said Tuesday afternoon from the bowls of Progressive Field. “I guess when you say retire, it's like well, you're going home and not doing anything. I know I need to go home and get healthy and see what I miss about our game and then maybe after some time see the best way to maybe quench that appetite, whatever it is.
“I don't foresee managing again. I don't have a crystal ball, nobody does because if I was going to manage, I like doing it here, but I also don't want to just turn away from the game.”
Francona will remain with the organization in some capacity. What that role will be remains to be seen.
“We'll take some time to figure out,” Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said. “We don't have clear parameters around that, but he'll stay engaged with the organization in some way. But the first priority is Tito getting healthy, taking care of himself, and then at the right time we'll talk about what's next.”
Francona is scheduled to undergo surgery next Wednesday. A variety of ailments in recent years have required numerous procedures and impacted his health as well as his ability to lead the Guardians on the field.
A selfless leader within the organization, the time has come for Francona to care for himself.
“He helped build a culture of winning, but more importantly than that, a culture of deep care,” Antonetti said. “He cared about individuals far more than anyone else and he has a unique ability to bring a group of people together as a team aligned around a common purpose and create a really fun environment along the way, and an environment where people always wanted to come to the ballpark and do their best. He found a unique way to bring out the best of everyone, whether that was coaches, players, front office staff. He made every single one of us better and we're eternally grateful for that.”
Francona departs as the winningest manager in franchise history with a record of 921-757. No manager in baseball won more games over the last 11 seasons than Francona did and only the Dodgers, Yankees and Astros with their bloated payrolls won more games than Cleveland did during his tenure.
His nine winning seasons are also a club record. He won four division titles and the fifth American League pennant in franchise history in 2016 before losing in 7 games to the Cubs in the World Series.
After ending the Curse of the Bambino for the Red Sox in 2004 and winning it all again in 2007, Francona came so close to ending Cleveland’s championship drought, which dates back to 1948 when the Indians topped the Boston Braves.
“I don't do what ifs,” Francona said. “I really never have. When I got hurt as a young player, I moved on. I viewed it as an opportunity. Even when I'd go back to the minor leagues, I stay...you guys [have] been around me so much. I stay in the moment and I think it's the best way to handle whatever comes at you and then you try to learn from what happened, but I don't do that whether it's when we won or when we lost. Just you do the best you can and you make the best decisions you can and move on.”
No one did more with less in the game than Francona did with Cleveland.
The Indians and now Guardians spent just 25 games out of playoff contention under Francona, an extraordinary feat considering the small market payroll limitations.
In October 2012, Antonetti began his partnership with Francona and 11 years later that relationship moves on to a new phase.
“Certainly some sadness that Tito will be stepping away and stepping into a new role,” Antonetti said. “But most importantly, the thing I'm left with is just an immense amount of gratitude for everything that Tito has given our organization, the players, the coaches, the support staff, everyone in the front office and every member of our community. I think he has left an indelible legacy that will continue to impact the organization for years to come.”
Francona was named American League Manager of the Year three times – 2013, 2016 and 2022.
A master of pushing buttons to get the most out of his players, Francona never made the game – win or lose – about himself. He used his self-deprecating humor to disarm reporters and lighten the mood.
Francona always took the blame for failure while heaping the credit for success on the front office and the players in the clubhouse.
“I think it starts with being honest,” Francona said. “And I think when you develop relationships with players, you not only have the ability to ask things that are kind of, [when] it's a big ask, but you can have difficult conversations with them also and you don't lose them because you've developed relationships. But I've just kind of been honest with them.”
Francona didn’t want a farewell tour. He tried to keep his departure quiet until the writing was on the wall in August that this year would be his last in the Guardians dugout.
“I mean the first press conference, everybody hugs, you get a uniform,” Francona said. “There's not many ones you're going to hug after the second one. So it's a little bit different and it's not a bad thing at all. It's great.”
The last month of the season turned into an opportunity for the organization, players and fans to salute him.
All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez wouldn’t let Francona leave the field after the Guardians beat the Reds 4–3 in the home finale, forcing his manager to soak in another lengthy rousing ovation from the crowd after a pair of curtain calls prior to the first pitch.
“What happened the last [home] game it was touching. I was uncomfortable as hell, but it was very touching,” Francona said. “I think what's more important to me is I didn't have to spend the last month doing anything different. I had 11 years of it here. That’s what is so good. That's why I'm not sad.
“I know the bar's low, but I'm a way better person now for coming here. Just, this has been good, man. I came here for the right reasons. I think I'm leaving for the right reasons and in between it's been really good. And that doesn't mean we haven't been challenged. We get challenged all the time, but doing it with people you respect and care about and care about you is really good.”
The search for Francona’s replacement is underway.
“We'll consider both internal and external candidates,” Antonetti said.
“I don't think our challenge will be lack of interest in the job.”
When the new manager will be in place remains to be seen.
“Ideally it's as soon as possible, but reality often conflicts with what would be ideal,” Antonetti said. “The most important thing is that we get to the right person. If we can do that quickly, great. But if it takes us a month or longer, then that's the necessary timeframe, but the most important thing is getting the right person.”
If asked, Francona will be happy to offer input on his potential successor if asked for it, but he made it clear he plans to respect the team's hiring process.
“I certainly have my way of doing things, for better or worse, and the next guy that comes in, they need to find the next guy that they can hopefully spend 11 years with and have as much fun and hopefully a ton of success,” Francona said. “It doesn't need to be my parameters. I don't think that's fair to these guys. If they ask me questions, sure, I'll be happy to [give input], but that's all it is.”
As Francona steps aside, he leaves knowing the Guardians are in a much better place than the day he walked in the door.
“I think the organization is healthy,” Francona said. “This year did not go the way we had hoped for probably a number of reasons. Anytime you have good young pitching, it makes everybody's glass look a little more full, and we have that here. I think it's an easy team to root for. They're good kids, man. They try hard. They don't get in trouble. My time here, I've loved it and I've never tried to stay away from not saying that.”