Reds to hire Terry Francona as next manager: reports

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly found their man to lead their roster of young superstars.

The Reds are set to hire Terry Francona to take over as manager, according to multiple reports. MLB.com reported Thursday night that an official announcement could come Friday.

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Aug 12, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Tropicana Field. (Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports)

Francona would take over for David Bell, who was fired with a few games left before the end of the season. The Reds hired Bell before the start of the 2019 season as he replaced Bryan Price and Jim Riggleman. Price was fired during the 2018 season and Riggleman took over for the rest of that year.

Bell never led Cincinnati to a better standing than third in the National League Central division. The Reds made the playoffs in the 2020 coronavirus-impacted season but it’s their only playoff appearance since 2013.

Bell is 409-456 as a manager.

Francona has an impressive resume underneath him.

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Aug 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) walks on the field seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

He managed the Boston Red Sox when the team finally broke the Curse of the Bambino in 2004, coming back from 3-0 in the American League Championship Series to defeat the New York Yankees and later winning the team’s first World Series title since 1918. He aloso guied the team to a World Series title in 2007.

Francona then led the then-Cleveland Indians to a World Series appearance, only to lose to the Chicago Cubs – who broke their own Curse of the Billy Goat and World Series title drought.

He and the now-Cleveland Guardians split at the end of the 2023 season.

Francona is 1,950-1,672 as a manager.

Aug 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) walks on the field seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

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The Reds have a talented team led by Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene. But the team has not had the success it is expected to have had by now. The hope is that Francona will be the guiding light to unlock that potential.

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