The Cleveland Guardians, the front office, and the fanbase have all been expecting an update on Terry Francona’s health and future plans for a while now.
He is such an important part of the Guardians organization at this point that everything the team does or plans to do concerns and affects him.
He made an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and made a pretty clear revelation.
“It’s time. My body is telling me that, my head is telling me that… I’ve been pretty clear with the guys I work for and told them to start preparing because it’s time,” Francona said.
Terry Francona addresses his future as the Guardians manager.#ForTheLand | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/hRrYycVkGH
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) September 5, 2023
Francona’s health record is pretty extensive.
He suffered from clogged arteries in the 2005 season.
In 2017, he missed multiple games after undergoing a catheter ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat.
He also missed the majority of the 2020 campaign with a blood clotting problem.
He also took off most of the second half in 2021 to focus on his health.
He is right: his body is sending him a message, and it might be time to stop.
His dream was to give a championship to the city of Cleveland, but his health should come first and his remarks seem to be a pretty good indication that he will retire.
Francona has amassed a fantastic managerial career, with two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox (2004 and 2007) and three Manager of the Year awards.
He also made it all the way to the Fall Classic with Cleveland in 2016 but fell one game short.
Perhaps most importantly, Francona has the respect and admiration from the entire baseball community.
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