This was not a decision that Terry Francona needed much time to mull over. When he answered his phone and Indians general manager Chris Antonetti, his good friend, was offering the chance to manage Cleveland, Francona already knew his answer
“When Chris called,” Francona said, “I knew it was the right thing to do.”
On Monday morning, less than two weeks since that initial phone call, the Indians held a formal press conference to introduce Francona as the 42nd manager in the club’s long history. It is a high-profile addition for a Cleveland club that is facing a critical offseason.
As he gazed across an interview room in Progressive Field’s lower level, Francona could see what made the job so attractive. At his side was Antonetti, his friend of more than a decade. Standing in the back was Francona’s father, Tito, who played for the Indians six decades ago.
Francona’s eyes were also wide open to the daunting task at hand.
“I know we have challenges ahead of us,” Francona said. “But I look forward to tackling these challenges together as a unit, as a we, always. I’m genuinely excited to do that. To embark upon a challenge together has me so excited, but it’s hard to express it.”
There is no denying Francona’s impressive resume: six seasons of 90-plus victories, five postseason appearances and two World Series titles. All of those accololades came during his eight-year run of managing the Red Sox, who dimissed Francona after the 2011 season.
In Boston, however, Francona had a large payroll and the kind of high-level prospects that quickly blossomed into stars on the Major League stage. With the Indians, Francona is inheriting a club that last season operated on a $65-million payroll and lost 94 games.
Antonetti made sure Francona understood the challenges faced in Cleveland.
“I just wanted to make sure I was very candid and honest,” Antonetti said. “Terry’s words were, ‘I’m all in.'”
Francona found it surprising that — given his resume and the possible managerial roles opening this offseason — so many people asked him why he would accept the job in Cleveland.
“I did get asked that a lot,” Francona said. “It was, ‘What are you doing? Why don’t you wait for a team that’s guaranteed, almost?’ That really did surprise me. Then I figured that the people that were asking didn’t know me as well as they thought.
“I actually look forward to this challenge.”
The financial aspects of Francona’s contract were not disclosed, but Cleveland was able to lock him in with a four-year contract. Francona joked that the negotiations took about 10 minutes, and both he and Antonetti emphasized that his salary was not a sticking point at all.
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