Terry Francona isn’t sounding like a manager ready to walk away from Cincinnati. With a year left on his three-year deal, he made it clear Monday that he wants to be around for the turnaround, not just the rough patch.
“When you go through your second year and things don’t go the way you want to, I’ve seen a lot of times things go off the rails,” Francona said before the Reds’ series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park. “That’s why I want to be part of the solution and I know they do, too. I mean, that’s why we’re here.”
The Reds entered Monday at 70-79, sitting in last place in the National League Central after reaching the playoffs in 2025. Francona, who came out of retirement to take the job after the 2024 season, said the people in the organization were a major reason he took the leap in the first place.
“I value, especially maybe at my age now, the people,” Francona said. “(That) 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.”
That feeling hasn’t changed, he said. In fact, he believes his relationship with the front office has only deepened over the last two seasons.
“One thing I really appreciate is it’s not who f-d up, it’s how to make it better,” Francona said. “That’s a good way to go about things.”
Nick Krall, the team’s president of baseball operations, said in Milwaukee on Sunday that he expects the front office and coaching staff to remain largely intact for 2027. Francona also pointed to Krall and general manager Brad Meador as central figures in his decision to come back.
The 67-year-old Francona brings plenty of perspective to the job. He has managed in three World Series, winning titles with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 and losing with Cleveland in 2016.
This season has not gone the way Cincinnati hoped after last year’s 83-79 finish. The Reds brought in Eugenio Suárez on a one-year deal to boost the lineup, but the slugger’s production has dropped sharply after his 49-homer season in 2025. He has 24 home runs this year.
Cincinnati started 20-11 and led the division after the first month, but the slide since then has been steep. The Reds are 50-68 since May and 27-27 since the All-Star break.
At the plate, they’ve struggled across the board: last in baseball in batting average at .230, with a .308 on-base percentage that sits among the worst in the game. Only four teams had scored fewer runs entering play Monday.
The front office made a couple of modest moves at the trade deadline, but kept hold of key pieces like catcher Tyler Stephenson and starter Brady Singer, both of whom are set to reach free agency this offseason.
The disappointment also comes against the backdrop of a long playoff drought. Last year’s two-game exit against the Dodgers in the NL Wild Card Series was Krall’s only postseason appearance since he took over after the 2020 season, and the Reds have not won a playoff series since 1995.
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Terry Franconas Reds Future Suddenly Feels Bigger Than This Season
Terry Franconas arrival in Cincinnati was always going to be about more than one season, but the discussion around his future is already stretching beyond the immediate push on the field. He has a guaranteed year left on his contract, along with a club option for 2028, and team president Nick Krall made it clear the Reds expect to keep talking with him about where this goes next.
Francona has also given the front office every reason to treat him like a long-term fit. He recently picked up his 2,103rd managerial win, and his relationship with the Reds brass has been described as strong, which matters in a job where trust can shape everything from roster planning to clubhouse tone. For now, Francona is focused on continuing to manage, but the fact that his future is already part of the conversation says plenty about how the organization views him. [Read more 🡒]
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Krall also took responsibility for the clubs poor performance, a notable admission for a franchise that has spent much of this stretch looking for traction. Cincinnati has some financial flexibility to work with, but any plan to use it will have to account for a thin roster and the possibility of an offseason lockout, which could complicate how aggressively the Reds can reshape things before 2027 arrives. [Read more 🡒]
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For now, the expectation is that the current decision-makers will remain in place, even after another playoff outcome that leaves plenty of room for second-guessing. That matters because the critique around this front office is not about one move or one bad week, but about how the club uses its resources, how it chooses to spend and trade, and whether it can build a roster with the same kind of efficiency that keeps Milwaukee and Tampa Bay in the postseason picture. [Read more 🡒]