CLEVELAND -- The Indians lean heavily on manager Terry Francona when it comes to making roster decisions. During the Winter Meetings next week, team president Chris Antonetti and his front-office team will have to keep Francona looped in via phone calls and texts.
MLB.com confirmed on Thursday night that Francona will miss the Winter Meetings while recovering from right hip surgery, which he underwent shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. After Francona won the American League Manager of the Year Award in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America last month, the manager joked about the procedure in a conference call with reporters.
"I've had both knees done and now my right hip," Francona said. "So, if I can get my left one done, then I'll be fully bionic."
MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.
During the annual event, managers typically hold one scheduled media session and take part in a luncheon with reporters. This will be the first time Francona has missed the Winter Meetings during his four-year tenure with Cleveland, which he has led to an AL-leading 352 wins during his time at the helm.
Francona's AL Manager of the Year Award was his second with the Indians, following his 2013 win for guiding Cleveland to a Wild Card one year after the team lost 94 games. This past season, Francona helped lead the Tribe to its first AL Central title since 2007 and its first World Series berth since '97.