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    • Hiring Terry Francona signals “urgency” to Cincinnati Reds players.
    Washington

    Hiring Terry Francona signals “urgency” to Cincinnati Reds players.

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    Immediately after David Bell was fired as manager of the Cincinnati Reds a week before the end of the season, as players began talking about what’s next, one name stood out among the possible next managers.

    “Luke (Maile) had the opportunity to play with him in Cleveland,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said, “and I remember when we were in Chicago after all that, he had nothing but positive things to say about Terry (Francona). .” and just gushed about him.”

    Less than a week later, the Reds announced the hiring of Hall of Fame inductee Francona, perhaps the best candidate — certainly the most qualified — for the job.

    “You can feel the Reds’ urgency to win as quickly as possible,” said Maile, who played for Francona with the Guardians in 2022. “I think this move supports that.” This is not a long-term thing. They expect victories now.”

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    If that wasn’t evident by the 65-year-old Francona’s hiring a year after his so-called retirement from the Guardians — a nod to the Texas Rangers’ signing of Bruce Bochy before their 2023 World Series title — it certainly was by how quickly The Reds tried to get a deal done after Francona expressed his willingness to do it again.

    “The fact that it happened so quickly was definitely exciting,” veteran pitcher Emilio Pagán said. “To be able to sign a two-time World Series champion, that’s really all you need to say. The guy has won at the highest level and has been winning for a very long time.

    “I’m super excited to get the chance to play for him and get to know him.”

    Terry Francona has “won everywhere he’s been”

    Francona won 1,950 games in 23 years, coaching in Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland. That’s 13th all-time, with a good chance of breaking into the top 10 by the end of his second season with the Reds.

    “He won everywhere he went,” said Stephenson, the squad’s longest-serving member. “I think everyone is very excited about it.”

    It’s not lost on Stephenson and his teammates that Francona has won with teams of very different styles and financial strengths, winning two World Series with deep-pocketed Boston in 2004 and 2007 and reaching the playoffs six times in 11 years with deep-pocketed Cleveland, including He also missed this city’s first title in 68 years by just one run in a 10-inning Game 7 in 2016.

    “He has done it with different squads and within those squads he has won games in different ways,” Pagán said. “He rode ace pitchers and also (monster) center fielders.

    “The good thing is – we’ve said it all year – the talent is there. Hopefully he can bring something that we’re not seeing and take the next step and start winning right away.”

    That’s the other thing players have talked about after Bell’s firing at the end of the final week of a 77-85 season: what went wrong, including some of their own shortcomings and the lack of cohesion and energy they felt just a season earlier had many of the same players.

    The Reds players knew something was missing

    “It was a different vibe,” veteran Jonathan India said. “We were all friendly and everything (like 2023). But there wasn’t that winning mentality. We were always behind and sometimes we just gave up. It was different.”

    Others expressed similar sentiments in these final days. And the front office made it clear that accountability and discipline were behind the change given the consistent mistakes throughout the season.

    “We need a man to hold us accountable and try harder to make sure you’re on time and – not that David isn’t like that,” India said. “David was like that. But he was just a little friendlier. I think we felt more comfortable around him.

    “It’s a real fine line,” India added. “There has to be some kind of feeling: ‘I have to be here; I have to be there and work hard at my job every day.” You could say: consequences. There should be consequences. Not necessarily because of bad play or bad performance.”

    But for controllable parts of the job that require preparation and concentration, he said.

    “I think that’s why we brought him in,” said Reds outfielder Will Benson, who played for Francona as a rookie during Cleveland’s 2022 playoff run. “His presence, at least from my perspective as a rookie, was, ‘You have to help us win and you have to play hard in everything you do.’ That’s pretty much all he asked of us and that’s the culture he created.

    “He was not a man of many words, but when he spoke he had power,” Benson added. “I’m happy to play for him again.”

    Nick Krall and Brad Meador of the Reds met with players

    Team president Nick Krall and Brad Meador met with players individually during the final week of the season, primarily discussing the direction of the organization and improvements that can be made heading into 2025.

    Benson said he used some of that time to express to Krall how much he believed the team was falling short of the quality of talent.

    “I really believe in my heart, and this isn’t bullshit or just to make us feel good about the season, but I really believe we had the ability to win this division,” Benson said. “Not with ease. We were in a good division; Don’t get me wrong. But the fact that we achieved what we did was far below our potential.

    “We had the pitching. We clearly had the talent and ability to be a strong offensive team where 1-9 is a problem,” he said. “We didn’t pull out all the stops when we needed to and we weren’t as cohesive as we would have liked.

    “But I think Tito will be able to get the best out of us in terms of the sense of urgency to win and to succeed at the right moment.”

    Last but not least, it is the message of urgency that continues to permeate from the office to the clubhouse.

    “I think this attitude shows that this organization believes in the group that we have,” Pagán said. “And No. 2: It’s a testament to Tito’s willingness to leave baseball retirement behind at home. Despite everything he’s accomplished, he won’t take a job if he doesn’t believe he can win games.

    “I think it reflects the way the baseball industry as a whole views our roster and our organization. It’s exciting. Now is the time and we need to take the next step.”

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    Madoc Meredith
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