2 weeks Ago By Conor Ryan
By Conor Ryan For the first since 2012, Terry Francona spent the entire year out of a big-league dugout. Given his already lofty resume — which includes two World Series titles with the Red Sox — Francona had little left to prove. “I had a really good year, and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do this coming year, but I really wasn’t thinking about managing,” Francona admitted last week ahead of “The Tradition” awards ceremony at TD Garden.
But after stepping away from the game following 11 seasons in Cleveland, Francona ended his one-year sabbatical this fall by signing on as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. For a baseball lifer like Francona, it was an easy call. “When they called, they flew out to my house and did the interview.
They were on my couch, and I was in my rocking chair,” Francona noted. “Kind of blew me away that they’d be willing to do that. I caught myself early on saying ‘we’ a few times.
'” While Francona’s tenure in Boston ended on a sour note, the same can’t be said for the end of his run in Cleveland. After informing the Guardians that he planned to step away from baseball after the 2023 season, Cleveland went on to hire Stephen Vogt — who took home Manager of the Year honors in his first year at the helm. “It’s rare when a manager leaves — somebody’s usually bent out of shape,” Francona acknowledged.
“And it wasn’t the case. I just was out of gas, and I told them that. I said, ‘You guys, go find your next manager.
Don’t tiptoe around me. You guys have been so good to me.’ And I think they made a really good decision, and they’re in great shape.
“So when the [Cincinnati] guys came out, it reminded me a lot of the Cleveland guys. You’re going to get challenged a boatload, even during great years. But when you deal with people that you align yourself with, people that you trust and have your back, that’s a good feeling.
And that’s kind of where I’m at in life. So it makes it a lot better.” With Francona looking to lift up a Reds team that finished fourth in the NL Central in 2024, the former Sox manager opted to take the high road when it came to the current state of Boston’s big-league roster.
“I’m with the Reds. We’ve got our own — Alex [Cora] is one of the best, and I have a lot of respect for him,” Francona acknowledged. “But I don’t need to be rating their organization.
That’s probably not the smartest thing to do.” While most of Francona’s interview as part of last week’s festivities revolved around Boston’s curse-breaking title in 2004, the former Sox manager also reflected on the team’s 2007 title. One of the stars from that squad was Dustin Pedroia, who took home Rookie of the Year honors that season while serving as the spark plug of a stacked lineup.
Pedroia, 41, was added to the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot this year. The former Sox second baseman put together an impressive career, winning two World Series, a Rookie of the Year award, AL MVP honors in his second full season, four All-Star nods, and four Gold Gloves. Pedroia’s MLB career came to a halt due to injuries.
After getting spiked in the knee by Manny Machado on April 21, 2017, Pedroia only played 98 more games over the final four seasons of his career before announcing his retirement in February 2021. Even with his career cut short, Pedroia received a ringing Cooperstown endorsement from his former manager. “He’s a Hall of Fame person,” Francona said of Pedroia.
“When you have to manage people like that, you’re supposed to be biased — and I am. I mean, this kid, he’s what you’re looking for.” It remains to be seen if Pedroia’s credentials are enough to warrant a spot in the Hall of Fame.
But Francona stressed that Pedroia’s approach to baseball made it all but inevitable that injuries were going to sprout up. “Because of the way he played the game, it was going to be hard for him not to get hurt, you know? I mean, he wasn’t the biggest body in the world, and he played like his pants were on fire,” Francona said. “And his legs took a pounding.
“And it is a shame. But I bet you, if you go back and ask him, he probably wouldn’t take anything [back]. The way he played the game, he earned a lot of respect from a lot of people.
” Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023. Boston.
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