Francona weighs in on Reds' leadership: 'We commiserate together'
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CINCINNATI – If Terry Francona has learned anything about the people in management around him, it’s that they are patient and level-headed.
That’s why the Reds manager wasn’t surprised to learn over the weekend that president of baseball operations Nick Krall anticipates no major changes in the front office or on-field personnel making in-game decisions. Krall hinted that he, general manager Brad Meador and Francona would be back for 2027, despite a season that will end with Cincinnati missing the playoffs.
What does that mean to the 67-year-old, two-time World Series champion manager?
"Everything. I think I was pretty, pretty honest and open about why, when those two guys came to visit with me in [2024],” Francona said of Krall and Meador. “That's what got me to want to do it again. I value especially, maybe at my age now, the people, and it doesn't mean you don't go through tough times, because you do.
“But when you do, you want to be with people that you're aligned with and you care about, and they care about you and the things I [said Sunday],” Francona added. “That's how I feel."
The Reds have had to deal with offensive inconsistencies all season, suffering through an MLB-leading 16 shutout losses. In a 1-5 road trip through Los Angeles and Milwaukee, the Reds were outscored 47-10 in the final three games of a five-game skid that ended Sunday with a 4-3 win in Milwaukee.
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While there may be speculation on the outside about changes to the coaching staff or front office, Francona says he appreciates that Krall and Meador don’t take that approach with him.
"We commiserate together,” Francona said. “Again, the one thing I really appreciate is it's not who [screwed] up. It's how we're going to make it better. That's a good way to go about things."
Asked pointedly before Monday’s game against the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park if he's confident that this is the right team, both front office and coaching staff, to turn this around, Francona didn’t hesitate.
"Yeah,” he said.