Give Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman an assist in putting Cincinnati Reds officials together with Terry Francona, the man who would become the team’s new manager.
After manager David Bell was fired late in the season, the 82-year-old Brennaman called Francona to urge his longtime friend to at least take a look at the Reds job. Francona, 65, had stepped down as manager of the Cleveland Guardians after the 2023 season, citing health reasons among others.
“He and I have a great friendship, and I’ve always respected the fact that he’s truly one of the best managers I’ve ever been around,” said Brennaman, who was the Reds play-by-play man from 1974 to 2019. “I just felt like it was important for me as a friend to call him and say, you want to come back?”
Francona told him he’d be open to listening to what the Reds had to say. So team officials visited him at home in Arizona, and it didn’t take long to lure the baseball lifer back to the ballpark.
“Marty, can you believe I’m standing here?” a smiling Francona asked the famed broadcaster when he stepped to the podium Monday to be officially introduced as the Reds’ new field boss.
Francona said he’s rested, healthy and has the stamina to take on the grind of a long baseball season again.
“When the Reds reached out, I started looking at the team a little more closely, and they came out to visit and it just felt right,” Francona said. “And it felt right from pretty close to the beginning of the meeting.”
Francona, who was an outfielder for the Reds under manager Pete Rose in 1987, replaces Bell, who was fired in the final days of his sixth season after compiling a 409-456 record. Francona has agreed to a three-year contract through the 2027 season with a club option for 2028.
Known as Tito, Francona comes to Cincinnati as one of baseball’s most beloved managers. He has a 1,950-1,672 record in 23 years as a big-league manager with Philadelphia (1997-2000), the Red Sox (2004-2011) and the Guardians (2013-2023). He took Cleveland to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons and won 921 games.
He was slowed by serious medical issues in his final years in Cleveland but stayed clear of calling his departure a retirement.
“I honestly didn’t see myself managing again,” Francona said. “I had a really good year away from the game. I needed to step away. I didn’t step away because I didn’t love the game. I stepped away because I didn’t think I was doing the job up to the caliber I thought was necessary. A lot of it was health, and it was getting in the way.”
Francona was feeling good again when he was visited by Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall and general manager Brad Meador. By the time the meeting was over, Francona was ready to put on his uniform right then and there.
“I firmly believe players enjoy being coached as long as there’s a solid reason and that you’re also organized, and that we will be,” Francona said.
“My promise to the organization and to the fans is that I’ll spend all my energy ensuring that (players) spend all their energy trying to play the game right and with respect,” he said. “One of my biggest goals is that our players feel like they’re cared for more than ever before but at the same time asking more of them on the field than has ever been done before.”
The Reds went 77-85 this season, but they have one of the game’s most dynamic players in Elly De La Cruz and a potentially deep rotation fronted by Hunter Greene. Francona said he has already reached out to all of his players to introduce himself.
“I think he’s great with young players,” Brennaman said. “He’s so self-deprecating that you are automatically drawn to him because he doesn’t take himself overly serious. At the same time, he’s honest. He’s not going to put up with anything less than what he thinks you are capable of doing. But he delivers that message in such a way that nobody is going to be offended. What you see is what you get.”