CLEVELAND (WKBN) – Terry Francona, the winningest manager in club history, officially stepped down as manager of the Cleveland Guardians.
It has been known for weeks that he would not return to the Cleveland dugout. It became official on Tuesday.
That ends Francona’s 23-year managerial career. With 1,950 career wins, Francona is currently 13th on the all-time list.
However, the 64-year-old will assume a future unspecified role with the Guardians’ organization.
“I know I need to go home and get healthy and see what I miss about our game and then maybe after some time see the best way to maybe quench that appetite — whatever it is,” he said. “I don’t foresee managing again. If I was going to manage, I like doing it here, but I also don’t want to just turn away from the game.”
The process to find Francona’s replacement is already underway. Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti told reporters on Tuesday that the team has a list of 45 internal and external candidates, and that interviews are already underway.
“The most important thing is that we get to the right person, and if we can do that quickly, great,” Antonetti said. “But if it takes us a month or longer, then that’s the necessary timeframe. But the most important thing is getting the right person.”
Antonetti confirmed that Sandy Alomar, Jr. declined to interview for the position.
