The Cincinnati Reds are signing veteran manager Terry Francona

CINCINNATI, Oct. 4 (UPI) — Terry Francona will end his brief retirement from baseball and become manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Sources told ESPN, MLB.com and The Athletic about the hiring Thursday night.

Francona, 65, was most recently manager of the Cleveland Guardians from 2013 to 2023. He resigned last October. Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record in 23 years as an MLB manager.

Francona’s tenure began with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997 and included an eight-year run with the Boston Red Sox, winning the World Series in 2004 and 2007.

Francona compiled a record of 44-34 in 11 postseason appearances. He led the Guardians to the 2016 World Series, which they lost to the Chicago Cubs in seven games.

Francona also played ten seasons in the MLB, including a season with the Reds in 1987. The former first baseman, outfielder and pinch hitter hit .274 in 707 appearances. With the Montreal Expos in 1984, he hit a career-high .346 in 58 appearances.

The Reds fired manager David Bell on September 22nd. Bell, 52, led the Reds to a 77-85 record and fourth place in the 2024 National League Central Division standings.

He led the Reds to a 409-456 record in six seasons and helped them reach the postseason in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was hired in 2019 and received a three-year contract extension in July 2023. This contract should run until 2026.

Francona’s 1,950 wins rank 13th in MLB history.