This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CINCINNATI -- On Wednesday, I joined Jim Day as a guest co-host for this offseason’s premiere episode of the "Reds Hot Stove League" on the Reds Radio Network.
One of our guests was manager Terry Francona. Jim and I asked Francona questions about his message to players for the offseason, the hiring of new pitching coach Joe Torres, the need for Cincinnati's pitchers to throw more strikes and more.
(Some questions and answers were edited for length and brevity)
On the last day of the season, you said your general message to the players heading into the offseason was basically, "We need to be tougher." Now that you're a month removed, would you add anything to that?
Francona: Obviously, one word probably doesn't sum up the whole season. I don't think our guys aren't tough. I probably should have explained that a little better. I meant tougher at-bats, fighting with two strikes, things like that. Just scrapping and taking anything they'll give us. It seemed like there were a lot of games [where] you'd look up in the fifth inning and we had 10 strikeouts. Then you'd keep playing and make a game of it, but we put ourselves behind the eight ball. We've got to do better.
We just saw a World Series where the Brewers had a lineup with depth. They were at the bottom of the league in homers, but they made a lot of contact and didn't strike out a ton. You guys hit a lot of homers, but struck out a ton. How much do you want to see the lineup transition to being a little longer with more contact and less swing-and-miss?
Francona: It's easy to look at the Brewers because of the way they play. But I also think you have to take who you have and try to play to their strengths. We had [Eugenio] Suárez. We had Nate Lowe. Those guys aren't going to be high-contact, stolen-base guys. We've got to see who we have. But I agree with what your premise is.
Milwaukee, they just grind you into the ground. They hit the ball the other way. They go first to third. Their defense is just phenomenal. It's a really good way to play. But you've got to have the players to do it.
What can you tell us about new pitching coach Joe Torres and how he's going to fit in?
Francona: More important than being hired by me is that he spent the last five years sitting next to [Guardians pitching coach] Carl Willis. You've been around me to know how much regard I hold Carl. Joe's been with him for five years now, and he's a younger version of Carl. I just think he's going to make a big difference.
We all know how Cleveland has done with their pitching, throughout the organization. He's going to bring some new ideas. He understands about us needing to throw strikes. He's trying to hit the ground running.
How does Torres relate to the pitchers, especially the younger pitchers? You saw him in Cleveland firsthand [in 2022-23]. What is it about him that impressed you?
Francona: What really impressed me was the growth I felt as we were interviewing him, listening to the comfort level of him talking about how he would like to run things. You could really see the growth. And that really pleased me because I liked him already. So, much like Carl, he's a calming influence. He has a delivery. He understands analytics. He understands using his eyes, and he understands using a pitching team. I just think he's going to be phenomenal.
Walks were a bugaboo last year. One thing Cleveland understands is control pitchers. You had a lot of them, we'll call "Tito head-scratch innings." If there were 10 head-scratches, it usually meant some walks were involved. How much do you think a guy like this … can make your pitchers better in that regard?
Francona: It can't just be that he's going to flip a switch and all of a sudden, guys are going to throw strikes. It's on us as an organization to acquire guys that are able to throw strikes. But then saying that, [with] the guys we have, we have to do better.
We have got to work ahead. There were so many innings last year where, even if we got through the inning, you looked up and there were a bunch of 3-2 counts. The pitchers had 27-28 pitches. That's not going to work over the course of the game or the season. So we've got to be more economical.
You did lose one of the leaders of the team, closer Emilio Pagán, who became a free agent. How hopeful are you that you guys can bring him back or try to find someone of that caliber to anchor your bullpen?
Francona: I texted him last night and he was at dinner. I said, "Do I need to come over there and kick your [butt]?" The reason I said that is I love the guy. He's such a phenomenal teammate. He bailed us out. When we made him the closer, it allows you to work from back to front, when you know there's an end in sight. I'm not giving up on him coming back. He has the right to test the market. But I don't think it's any secret how much I enjoyed him and how much I respect him and how much I love him.