Terry Francona To Stay With Guardians "In Some Capacity"
Terry Francona finally made it official. He declined to use the word "retire," but Tito will be stepping down as the Cleveland Guardians manager.
Just because Tito is transitioning away from the dugout, doesn't mean his time in baseball is coming to an end. In fact, the plan is to still Francona be with the Guardians organization.
President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti didn't go into great detail on what this role would be, but he did confirm it. He had this to say about Tito's future with the team:
"We would love to have (Francona) work in some capacity in the organization. He will have a role with us moving forward. Exactly what that looks like will take some time to figure out we don't have clear parameters around that, but he'll stay engaged with the organization in some way."
Antonetti also made it clear that the number one priority was to make sure Francona was healthy before exploring what his position could look like. Health is the reason Tito is stepping away after all.
Jul 19, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) looks on from the dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Even after the press conference on Tuesday and hearing Francona talk about it himself, it still doesn't feel real that Cleveland will be managed by a new face next season.
Tito was around for over a decade which feels like an eternity, especially with how quickly coaches are let go of nowadays. Whoever takes over for the Future Hall of Famer will have big shoes to fill. They'll follow the winningest manager in franchise history who only had two losing seasons in 11 years.
