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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:20 pm
Rosenthal: Terry Francona thinking about his future — ‘Physically, it’s getting harder’
Sep 5, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) watches player introductions against the Kansas City Royals prior to the game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
By Ken Rosenthal
Sep 10, 2022
55
Save Article
For the first time, Terry Francona is talking about a finish line.
While Francona, 63, is expected to return as Guardians manager next season, he said Friday he does not plan to remain in the job indefinitely.
“No. It’s getting harder,” Francona said. “Physically, it’s getting harder.”
Francona said he has been discussing his future with president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff, and plans to reach some type of resolution soon.
“Everybody asks you about legacy. I don’t give a s— about that,” said Francona, who led Cleveland to the American League title in 2016, won two World Series in eight seasons with the Red Sox and also managed the Phillies for four years.
“I want to enjoy what I’m doing. It’s getting harder to do that, just because physically it’s harder. I just want to be careful. And at the same time, I want to be fair to the team.”
Antonetti said the Guardians want Francona to remain manager as long as he is physically capable. Francona, who stepped away during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons for health reasons, estimates he has had 45 surgeries, and will require another after the season to remove drains in his back.
“He’s been through a lot over the last three years,” Antonetti said. “(But) at this point, he is as energized as he’s ever been, excited about what’s in front of him. If things continue on the path we’re on, he certainly wants to be back next year, and that’s our expectation.”
The Guardians, in Francona’s 10th season, entered Saturday leading the AL Central by 1 1/2 games despite fielding a bottom-five payroll and the youngest roster in the majors. Their farm system is the third best in the game according to Baseball America. The team also will enter the offseason with only $19.3 million in guaranteed commitments for 2023, ensuring a measure of payroll flexibility.
Francona, whose contract expires at the end of the season, maintains an unusually close relationship with the Guardians’ front office. He said he does not want to “mess up” Antonetti and Chernoff or “hold them over a barrel,” seemingly referring to the team’s future plans. Antonetti said the question is not one of working out a contract.
“It’s more about how Tito is doing. Where is he in his life? What does he want next? At what point for him will it be the right time to step away?” Antonetti said. “I don’t know what the answer to that is. But I also have never wanted to pressure him.
“I care so deeply about him, I want him to have the life he wants to have with his children and grandchildren. I want to make sure he never feels he has this obligation to keep doing the job because he owes us anything. I want him to do what’s best for him.”
Terry Francona walks to the mound during a pitching change in 2021. (David Richard / USA Today Sports)
Francona managed only 14 of 60 regular-season games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and missed the team’s wild-card series against the Yankees because of gastrointestinal and blood-clotting issues that led to a stay of several days in the ICU.
That winter, he developed gout, then a staph infection in his left big toe, spending 10 days in the hospital and using crutches or a boot for months. After opening the 2021 season as manager, he stepped away again on July 29, 2021, for a hip replacement and then, a few weeks later, toe surgery. He still wears a steel plate in his shoe to protect his toe.
When Guardians owner Paul Dolan’s wife, Karen, underwent a procedure earlier this year, doctors joked she was in the “Tito suite.” Francona, too, typically makes light of his ailments. Asked how he currently is feeling, he said, “I got two shoes on, so that’s progress.”
“I’ve told him so many times, I have no idea how you’ve continued to go on,” Antonetti said. “I could not deal with the things he deals with and continue to do my job in a productive way. To see his strength, it’s a testament to how much he cares, how much he loves what he’s doing. The vast majority of people would not continue to persevere through what he has been through, and is still going through.”
Antonetti has spoken often of how Francona and his coaching staff create a unique culture, enabling young players to develop while also teaching them how to win. The Guardians, Antonetti said, view Francona as “among the best in the business if not the best in the business at what he does.” Francona, in turn, said he might have retired by now if he was with another club.
“I told Chris and ‘Cherny’, if there’s a date where you think I’m not doing it to your (satisfaction), I’m going to walk away and be happy as hell,” Francona said. “I love these guys. I’ll never say a word like (I did when) it ended in Boston. I love our owner. I love Chris and ‘Cherny.’ At some point, it ends. I want to be fair to them, because they’re fair to me. That’s kind of how I feel.”
Francona said he would like to remain in the game when he no longer is managing, but he does not know in what capacity. Accustomed to being in a position of authority, he said, “I don’t know how I’d do not being in charge if I see something I didn’t like.”
“That’s what I’m not sure of. That’s where I want to be a little careful,” Francona said. “I don’t know that I’m to the point where I would be fulfilled not doing something. But I know I think about it a lot more than I used to. I’m getting there.”
Sep 5, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) watches player introductions against the Kansas City Royals prior to the game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
By Ken Rosenthal
Sep 10, 2022
55
Save Article
For the first time, Terry Francona is talking about a finish line.
While Francona, 63, is expected to return as Guardians manager next season, he said Friday he does not plan to remain in the job indefinitely.
“No. It’s getting harder,” Francona said. “Physically, it’s getting harder.”
Francona said he has been discussing his future with president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff, and plans to reach some type of resolution soon.
“Everybody asks you about legacy. I don’t give a s— about that,” said Francona, who led Cleveland to the American League title in 2016, won two World Series in eight seasons with the Red Sox and also managed the Phillies for four years.
“I want to enjoy what I’m doing. It’s getting harder to do that, just because physically it’s harder. I just want to be careful. And at the same time, I want to be fair to the team.”
Antonetti said the Guardians want Francona to remain manager as long as he is physically capable. Francona, who stepped away during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons for health reasons, estimates he has had 45 surgeries, and will require another after the season to remove drains in his back.
“He’s been through a lot over the last three years,” Antonetti said. “(But) at this point, he is as energized as he’s ever been, excited about what’s in front of him. If things continue on the path we’re on, he certainly wants to be back next year, and that’s our expectation.”
The Guardians, in Francona’s 10th season, entered Saturday leading the AL Central by 1 1/2 games despite fielding a bottom-five payroll and the youngest roster in the majors. Their farm system is the third best in the game according to Baseball America. The team also will enter the offseason with only $19.3 million in guaranteed commitments for 2023, ensuring a measure of payroll flexibility.
Francona, whose contract expires at the end of the season, maintains an unusually close relationship with the Guardians’ front office. He said he does not want to “mess up” Antonetti and Chernoff or “hold them over a barrel,” seemingly referring to the team’s future plans. Antonetti said the question is not one of working out a contract.
“It’s more about how Tito is doing. Where is he in his life? What does he want next? At what point for him will it be the right time to step away?” Antonetti said. “I don’t know what the answer to that is. But I also have never wanted to pressure him.
“I care so deeply about him, I want him to have the life he wants to have with his children and grandchildren. I want to make sure he never feels he has this obligation to keep doing the job because he owes us anything. I want him to do what’s best for him.”
Terry Francona walks to the mound during a pitching change in 2021. (David Richard / USA Today Sports)
Francona managed only 14 of 60 regular-season games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and missed the team’s wild-card series against the Yankees because of gastrointestinal and blood-clotting issues that led to a stay of several days in the ICU.
That winter, he developed gout, then a staph infection in his left big toe, spending 10 days in the hospital and using crutches or a boot for months. After opening the 2021 season as manager, he stepped away again on July 29, 2021, for a hip replacement and then, a few weeks later, toe surgery. He still wears a steel plate in his shoe to protect his toe.
When Guardians owner Paul Dolan’s wife, Karen, underwent a procedure earlier this year, doctors joked she was in the “Tito suite.” Francona, too, typically makes light of his ailments. Asked how he currently is feeling, he said, “I got two shoes on, so that’s progress.”
“I’ve told him so many times, I have no idea how you’ve continued to go on,” Antonetti said. “I could not deal with the things he deals with and continue to do my job in a productive way. To see his strength, it’s a testament to how much he cares, how much he loves what he’s doing. The vast majority of people would not continue to persevere through what he has been through, and is still going through.”
Antonetti has spoken often of how Francona and his coaching staff create a unique culture, enabling young players to develop while also teaching them how to win. The Guardians, Antonetti said, view Francona as “among the best in the business if not the best in the business at what he does.” Francona, in turn, said he might have retired by now if he was with another club.
“I told Chris and ‘Cherny’, if there’s a date where you think I’m not doing it to your (satisfaction), I’m going to walk away and be happy as hell,” Francona said. “I love these guys. I’ll never say a word like (I did when) it ended in Boston. I love our owner. I love Chris and ‘Cherny.’ At some point, it ends. I want to be fair to them, because they’re fair to me. That’s kind of how I feel.”
Francona said he would like to remain in the game when he no longer is managing, but he does not know in what capacity. Accustomed to being in a position of authority, he said, “I don’t know how I’d do not being in charge if I see something I didn’t like.”
“That’s what I’m not sure of. That’s where I want to be a little careful,” Francona said. “I don’t know that I’m to the point where I would be fulfilled not doing something. But I know I think about it a lot more than I used to. I’m getting there.”