It was a mid-September day, and Terry Francona was sitting at home in a rocking chair -- far removed, physically and emotionally, from the pulse of any playoff race or pressure.
As we talked over the phone, he sounded bubbly. He was recovered from multiple surgeries that addressed some of the health issues that compelled him to step aside as manager of the Guardians after 2023. He was enjoying golf, babysitting his grandkids, even attending a picnic with some old high school buddies. He was very clearly loving “retirement.”
So of course, he took the Reds job just a couple weeks later.
Francona’s three-year deal with the Reds is the first stunner of, I’m sure, many in the Hot Stove season, and it makes a few things clear
1) The Reds are serious about 2025
2) This is good news for Dusty Baker, Mike Scioscia and Lou Piniella
3) The Ohio Cup runneth over