Guardians’ Terry Francona Says ‘It’s Time’ to Retire; ‘My Body Is Telling Me That’ | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

By Editor On Sep 6, 2023

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CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 02: Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) in the dugout during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians on September 2, 2023, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona made it seem like he is going to retire following the 2023 season.

“It’s time,” he said Tuesday on MLB Network Radio. “My body is telling me that, my head is telling me that. And I don’t want to stay on for the wrong reasons. I hope I have too much respect for, not just the game, but for this organization to do that. So I’ve been pretty clear with the guys I work for, and told them to start preparing because it’s time.”

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Terry Francona addresses his future as the Guardians manager.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheLand?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#ForTheLand</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/CleGuardians?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CleGuardians</a> <a href=”https://t.co/hRrYycVkGH”>pic.twitter.com/hRrYycVkGH</a>

If Francona does retire following the 2023 campaign, the Hall of Fame could be the next stop.

While he was just 285-363 with the Philadelphia Phillies during his first managerial job from 1997 through 2000, he will forever be a Boston Red Sox legend. He took over as manager for Boston in the 2004 season and led the team to its first World Series title since 1918 in his first year.

As if breaking the infamous Curse of the Bambino wasn’t enough, he led the team to another World Series crown in 2007 and went 744-552 in eight seasons at the helm.

Cleveland hired Francona starting with the 2013 season, and he is 911-743 in 11 seasons. While the team doesn’t have a World Series title during his tenure, it reached the Fall Classic in 2016 and went to the playoffs six times.

A seventh postseason appearance doesn’t seem to be in the cards this year, as the Guardians are six games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.

Retirement talk comes for the three-time Manager of the Year after he has experienced some health issues in recent years.

Brian Dulik of the Associated Press noted in August that Francona scheduled shoulder replacement surgery and multiple hernia operations for the end of the season. The 64-year-old also had to temporarily step down in 2020 and in 2021 because of health concerns.

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