8:16pm: The Indians aren't commenting on Olney's tweet referring to Francona's out clauses, according to Hoynes (via Twitter).
7:30pm: Francona's option contains out clauses that he can exercise if the people he's working for are dismissed from the organization, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Presumably, that's in reference to Antonetti and Shapiro.
MONDAY, 9:57am: The Indians announced that they have signed Francona to a four-year deal through 2016.
SATURDAY, 6:25pm: The Indians have announced the hiring of Francona and will formally introduce him at a press conference on Monday morning.
4:42pm: The Indians and Francona are discussing a four-year deal, according to Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. The manager also implied to Hoynes that while a deal may be close, it has yet to be finalized.
3:24pm: The Indians are set to hire Terry Francona as manager with an announcement likely for Monday, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Francona, currently an analyst for ESPN, said last night that his two options at present were to either manager in Cleveland or remain with the network.
The former Red Sox skipper has linked to the vacancy ever since the dismissal of Manny Acta, but many wondered if Cleveland could offer him a satisfactory deal. Sandy Alomar Jr. was also viewed as a strong candidate for the job, having guided the club for its final six games of the season with obvious ties to the organization. At the same time, Tito has strong relationships with GM Chris Antonetti and team president Mark Shapiro following his 2001 stint with Cleveland as a special assistant to the GM.
Francona now takes over for a club that finished 68-94 in 2012 and has a limited budget to work with. For his career, the 53-year-old has a 1,029–915 record across a total of 12 seasons as a big league skipper.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Best of luck Tito. I think he’ll be a good fit for that team.
Good luck Tito! Hope you do great with the Tribe!
I hope he crashes and burns.
-Tigers fan
Fair enough! haha
Tribe still isn’t very good, although I thought the same about the o’s.
So the Indians are going to win… 70 games now?
I love Francona, but I think he could of waited for some better jobs to open up. Don’t see the rush.
Awesome to see him back to managing. Really excited to see what he’s going to do with the Indians, even if it is against my beloved White Sox.
Why aren’t you waiting on the Tigers job, Terry? 🙁
That’s assuming that Leyland retires which is no guarantee. There will be other options if that happens, though.
Most Tigers fans are under the impression that Leyland is gone after this year. Either by his choosing or managements.
A contract extension with him hasn’t been discussed for a reason.
I’m a Tiger fan and know thats not true.
Apparently you’re not a very observant one then … rumors have been all over the place. Leyland was very tearful after the Tigers won the division and has said numerous times that he’s not sure he’s going to be back next year.
And everyone involved has said they haven’t even discussed a possible contract extension for next year. Most managers do not play out a season without a contract for the next already in place.
Tony La Russa did for many years and he and Jim Leyland are very good friends. It wouldn’t surprise me if Leyland followed the same path at the end of his career as La Russa, signing a bunch of 1 year deals until it’s time for him to retire.
He’s been doing that for years. This year is different. Last year the same thing was going on and then he signed a one-year extension late in the season. This year an extension hasn’t even been discussed.
Leyland insists on one year deals and if the Tigers win the WS, he will retire. If they get eliminated, he will be signed to a one year deal.
That’s complete speculation on your part, “me”. Your random opinion is not fact.
You’re joking, right? You’re calling out my speculation? Your whole argument was speculation!
does this mean they aren’t going to rebuild?
Wow! Didn’t believe he would get paid from the Dolans or that he really wanted to get back so badly. Good Luck!
Was a great manager and was a victim of a highly covered market. It was a disgrace what was leaked about him at the end.
Sure was. Hope for nothing but the best for Tito going forward in Cleveland. He may not be the best manager in the game, but he got the best out of his guys up until the end in Boston. You can’t ask for much else. A very exciting day if you’re an Indians fan. Hopefully they field a strong team for him to work with.
That seemed to happen a lot when people weren’t wanted back by the Red Sox. They made a lot of derogatory comments about some players they weren’t bringing back too. Nomar, Jason Bay, Johnny Damon among them.
I appreciate that they seemed to let Valentine go without dumping more trash on him on the way out. Maybe the management is going to be kinder and gentler with it’s discards. I sure hope so.
That is not the case, they didnt dump on Valentine because he did such a great job doing it to himself
Can’t wait for the Indians to play at Fenway next year. Tito will get the biggest ovation….guaranteed!
Best of Luck.
This is a good move by the Indians. I hope he finds success in Cleveland.
believe me so do cleveland fans lol
Good luck Tito, just be glad that you’re out of Beantown
Damn. Was hoping the Jays would sign him after trading Farrell to Boston. Very good signing for the Tribe.
So he goes from manager to espn to manager, I bet valentine goes from manager to espn to manager and back to espn. Must be nice working in baseball and no matter what you’ll have a job if you know how to run your mouth a bit.
Good. He didn’t deserve his fate in Boston. This is a great position for him—on a young team that’s still in the process of rebuilding and maturing. Best of luck to a new division rival.
Four years for Francona is a long managerial commitment by the Indians Front Office, but it’s a commitment that is certainly worth it. He’ll manage the team through 648 games in that span, and possibly more considering the playoffs as well. I believe he is a great guy and the perfect fit to right this ship. He will help develop that young ball club by calling the shots. Of that there is no doubt. Awesome move
I can think of a few free agents who might be interested in this development… Kevin Youkilis, for one.
Tito never should have been fired, and I am very happy he is back in the game.
This all fine and dandy, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Indians are lacking in talent. They have nobody in the front of their rotation, the are short on power, their system is pretty weak. Not sure how a different manager really changes any of this. They need to make some major changes in how they develop and acquire players.
Very good point concerning the state of being in Cleveland. Casey Stengel, Joe Torre and Terry Francona were all considered mediocre managers until they had the horses to win. MLB Network is reporting that Francona will get a 4 yr deal. Possibly enough time to put together a serious contender. It all depends on which direction management decides to go in.
Hiring Francona only helps if they do a better job building a balanced team. They need just about everything to get there too-better starting pitching, credible right handed hitters, power, a first baseman, a left fielder, etc.
They have to STOP bringing the exact same players over and over again. I really wish the would make some changes at the top. I see them a bigger part of the problem than who manages the team.
Terrific signing for the Indians that is a first-class manager right there.
Yep, way better than Valentine.
Indians need a couple starting pitchers, an outfielder, and a decent first baseman. If they are willing to invest in free agents, this is a team that could be competiive next year. Santana, Cabrera, Kipnis, Choo, and a solid 1-2 punch in Perez-Pestano are a nice start. Too bad there isn’t much in the way of MLB-ready prospects.
I just hope he can keep his towel on…
He may should have hung around at espn one more year. The nats job may come open,possibly the pirates job. Or maybe just have waited a lil longer this year with the blue jays and marlins possibly needing a manager. The indians dont have many pieces or a decent farm.
nice hire Cleveland!
Well I thought he would stick around until after the WS and see what other teams needed managers(like my Tigers) and pick the best one, but obviously he loves Cleveland. I always liked Francona, I do hope he loses every single game against the Tigers though. All in all a good hire, I didnt think the Indians were good enough for him but I was wrong.
All in all a good hire, I didnt think the Indians were good enough for him but I was wrong.
Interesting (and fun) comment overall, but that ↑ part right there was a pretty classy thing to say. It’s not often anyone on this board admits to being wrong (no matter how wrong they are or how often :-p). So hey, hats off to you!
One more comment, I think ESPN is the big loser here. Francona was the best analyst they had, and was far superior to Valentine.
I actually find the MLB Network far superior to ESPN
As do I, the only one I could stand was Francona.
The Indians had to tie up Terry ASAP. I think there will be at least one surprise vacancy in Ron Washington who could end up in Boston. Terry might have jumped at Texas if offered. It may be unfair to fire Wash, but he’s Big Game 0-3 despite 3 great seasons where they missed getting over the hump. If that happens maybe John Farrell goes to Texas, I think Farrell get’s canned too if the Bosox opening falls through. He was a little too anxious to leave. It’s just speculation about Wash, but stranger things have happened.
Yea he is 0-3, but before Wash how many games did the Rangers win in the postseason? Look at Bobby Cox for instance.
Believe me, it’s not that I think he SHOULD get canned, I just think ownership has become impatient and Wash is a players manager and seeming a bit laid back. I think Ryan would jump at the chance to hire John Farrell or even promote Mike Maddux.
No way Washington is back. Mediocre manager and little strategy. Example Kinsler should not be leading off.
Red Sox should’ve hired him
Great to see Tito back in baseball. Good luck Tito!
Farrell to Red Sox’s for Tim Bogar or Bobby V contract?
Great sign by the indians…will give them a veteran manager to help out some of the young guys
I think he made a mistake. I know hes friends with the GM and pres, but Cleveland has a lot of issues, and they are probably going to lose Choo. If I were him I would of waited another year. A lot of good jobs could be open in the next couple years… The fact that they put an out clause in there to me is an admission that there is a chance they could be gone next year
It’s almost a shame that he won’t be in the booth anymore. I liked the insight he had to offer.
Tito is the best manager in baseball hands down. Glad to see him with a job again. This this team is only a phew good players away from being a good team.