Cincinnati Reds hire veteran manager Terry Francona

CINCINNATI, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Terry Francona ended his brief retirement from baseball to accept a new role as manager of the Cincinnati Reds , the franchise announced Friday.

The Reds and Francona agreed to a three-year contract, with a team option for the 2028 season.

"I am so excited and honored to join an organization with the tradition and history of the Cincinnati Reds," Francona said. "I only played one season for the Reds in 1987, but in that season, I learned that Cincinnati is a great baseball city.

"I want to thank [Reds owner] Bob Castellini, [Reds president] Nick Krall, and [Reds vice president] Brad Meador for giving me this opportunity to manage the Reds. I can't wait to start meeting and interacting with these good young players of ours."

Francona, 65, last served as manager of the Cleveland Guardians from 2013 through 2023. He stepped down last October. Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record over 23 years as an MLB manager.

Francona's tenure started in 1997 with the Philadelphia Phillies and included an eight-year run with the Boston Red Sox , who won the World Series in 2004 and 2007.

Francona posted a 44-34 record in 11 trips to the postseason. He led the Guardians to the 2016 World Series, which they lost in seven games to the Chicago Cubs .

Francona also spent 10 seasons playing in MLB, including his lone season with the Reds. The former first baseman, outfielder and pinch hitter hit .274 over 707 appearances. He had a career-high .346 over 58 appearances in 1984 for the Montreal Expos.

The Reds fired manager David Bell on Sept. 22. Bell, 52, led the Reds to a 77-85 record and fourth-place finish in the 2024 National League Central division standings.

He took the Reds to a 409-456 record over six seasons, helping them reach the postseason during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was hired in 2019 and received a three-year contract extension in July 2023. That pact was set to run through 2026.

Francona's 1,950 wins rank No. 13 in MLB history.

"Terry is a future Hall of Fame manager that has experience winning with young talent," Krall said. "I'm extremely excited that he wanted to be a Red, and he is the right person to take us toward our goal of winning a championship."