After guiding the majors’ youngest club to a division championship and the AL Division Series in 2022, the Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has committed to return for his 11th season. Apparently, the discussions went well.
Despite having his previous two seasons cut short owing to health difficulties, Francona was able to see out the whole 2022 campaign. Back in 2020, he had to battle stomach problems and a blood clotting emergency that landed him in the intensive care unit.
He had to take some time off last year around the trade deadline to recover from two operations (one on his hip, the other on his foot) so that he would be fully operational this spring and throughout the season. The team’s leadership has always said that Francona is welcome to continue leading the club for as long as he sees fit. Francona’s desired length of time in charge has been the main topic of discussion.
Terry Francona to remain with Guardians at least until end of next season
“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,” Francona said back in September.
In terms of managerial success, the 63-year-old is among the all-time greats. Since taking over as manager of the Cleveland Indians in 2004, he has led those players to three American League pennants and two World Series victories, while winning more than 54 percent of his regular-season games in three different cities (2004 and 2007).
