Terry Francona needed some time away from baseball. A year was long enough.
One of baseball’s most beloved managers, Francona has been hired by the Cincinnati Reds, returning to a team he played for after stepping down in Cleveland following last season because of health reasons.
A person familiar with the situation confirmed the move to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because the Reds had not announced the decision. An announcement could come later this week.
Francona, who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, is replacing David Bell, fired by the Reds last month in the final days of his sixth season. Bell went 409-456.
Francona, who turns 66 in April, played for the Reds in 1987.
It’s easy to see the appeal of the situation for both parties. The Reds went 77-85 this season but have one of the game’s most dynamic players in Elly De La Cruz and a potentially deep rotation — fronted by Hunter Greene.
Francona helped José Ramírez become one of baseball’s best all-around players in Cleveland, and he should have no problem commanding the attention of the Reds’ young roster.
After leaving the Guardians, Francona spent time at his new home in Arizona and mostly kept a low profile other than attending basketball games at his alma mater in Tucson. He returned to Cleveland briefly during the summer to help launch a restaurant in which he has an ownership stake.
Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record in 23 years as a big-league manager with the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000), the Red Sox (2004-11) and Guardians (2013-23).
He was slowed by serious medical issues in his final years in Cleveland but stayed clear of calling his departure a retirement.
“I never was real concerned about the word retire,” he said last year. “I guess when you say retire, it’s like, well, you’re going home and not doing anything. Don’t feel that way either. We’ll figure something out that makes sense.”
He found that something on the other side of Ohio.
With 1,950 wins, he’s 13th on the career list, sandwiched between Casey Stengel (1,905) and Leo Durocher (2,008), two other colorful managers who like Francona endeared themselves to fans and players.
Francona’s rise as one of the game’s best managers was somewhat unexpected.
Things didn’t go particularly well for him in Philadelphia, where he had four straight losing seasons, was constantly booed and had the tires on his car slashed on fan appreciation day.
He was an unlikely choice for the Red Sox job but immediately claimed legendary status by winning the World Series in his first season.
The Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit in the AL Championship Series and swept the St. Louis Cardinals to end an 86-year championship drought and exorcise the “Curse of the Bambino,” a perceived hex on the team after Babe Ruth was sold to the rival New York Yankees.
When his tenure in Boston ended in 2011 amid some controversy, Francona took a year off and worked in broadcasting before going to Cleveland, where his dad, Tito, had spent six seasons and he himself played 62 games in 1988.
Francona took Cleveland to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons. The Guardians, then known as the Indians, made it to the World Series in 2016 only to lose to the Chicago Cubs in a seven-game series.
Known as Tito, Francona became popular in Cleveland with his quick wit and big personality. He rode a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark each day, often waving to fans along his short route.
Francona could have taken jobs elsewhere but felt a deep connection with Cleveland’s organization after his dad played for the Indians in the late 1950s and early 60s.
His hiring by the Reds also coincides with the Guardians finishing with the AL’s second-best record under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, who had the difficult task of trying to replace a Cleveland icon.
The Guardians open an AL Division Series against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
AP’s Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed.
