Report: Terry Francona returning as Guardians manager in 2023

Longtime Guardians Manager Terry Francona will be returning to the team in 2023 on a new contract, The Athletic’s Zack Meisel reports. Said contract has yet to be finalized, but Meisel says that Francona expects to take things “one year at a time.”

Francona just completed his tenth year as Cleveland’s manager, having gone 845-671 during his time with the organization. Cleveland has made the postseason six times under his management, with the highlight of those postseason runs coming in 2016, when Cleveland captured the AL pennant and made it all the way to game 7 of the World Series before ultimately falling to the Cubs. Prior to his time in Cleveland, Francona spent 8 years as manager of the Red Sox, collecting two World Series championships during his time there. He also spent four years as manager of the Phillies.

It should come as known surprise that the Guardians want to retain Francona, seeing as 2021’s 80-82 record is the only sub-.500 finish the organization has suffered under his management, a remarkable accomplishment for a small-market club. That being said, Francona has struggled with health concerns in recent years, with his latest procedure being one to remove drains from his back that he will undergo this offseason. Given this, it’s no wonder than Francona and the Guardians front office plan to assess his managerial status on a year-to-year basis.

Francona staying put in Cleveland takes another possible managerial seat off a market that has already seen the Rangers fill their vacancy with Bruce Bochy and each of the Angels, Blue Jays, and Phillies re-up with their interim managers. Managerial positions with the Marlins, Royals and the White Sox still remain up for grabs, however.

Going forward, the Guardians can be expected to try and build on their surprise success in 2022, where they captured the AL Central title with a 92-70 record and made it to the ALDS, where they fell to the Yankees in five games. Fortunately for Cleveland fans, the team was exceptionally young in 2022 and is unlikely to suffer major losses headed into 2023. With star third baseman Jose Ramirez having signed an extension earlier this year, only catcher Austin Hedges and reliever Bryan Shaw are expected to hit free agency this offseason.