May 26, 2013

Jim Duquette: It’s Francona’s Job to Lose

October 2, 2012 by 13 Comments

The MLB season ends Wednesday. Sandy Alomar, former Indians All-Star and interim manager, is scheduled to interview for the Cleveland full-time job on Thursday.

Then, on Friday, the biggest name in managing free agency will momentarily leave his cushy ESPN position to interview for the Tribe job. Terry Francona, also a former Indian and two-time World Series champ with the Boston Red Sox, is listed as the easy front-runner for the job, according to Sirius/XM analyst and former GM Jim Duqette:

I’m sure we’ll be hearing more and more rumors as the week winds down, but this seems to be the most definitive claim from a baseball analyst so far.

The Indians (67-93) play against the Chicago White Sox again tonight at 7 pm at Progressive Field.

[Related: Eating Fran-Crow-Na and Sandy's First Win]

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  • porckchopexpress

    I haven’t seen anyone comment about this yet but I have to imagine a Francona contract is going to be in that 5 mil plus category, unless he gives his buddies a discount. At any rate I’m believing it will be a significant increase over Acta. Does it make any sense to pay a guy to manage a team when you won’t pay players to play on that team? To me baseball managers have the less impact on the game compared to NBA/NFL coaches. It just doesn’t make sense. In addition didn’t the club pick up Manny’s option for next year? Am I wrong on this or do they seem to have money to burn on somethings.

  • herr doktor

    The Cleveland Indians – In Our Lifetime.

  • Jimmy Garst

    Did Boston fire Francona for a certain reason? I cannot remember. Sandy has never been fired from a baseball job. By hiring Terry, it seems to me that we will be rebuilding for the next 50 years. Manny had nothing to do with signing players like Dan, and did the best job with what Dan gave him. It seems that some upper management should have to go along with Manny, doesn’t it? Sure Manny losted his desire to coach but maybe it came from management not stepping up and giving the fans a product a left fielder, that management knew needed to be replaced after
    the 2010 year. Promises…Promises..It is very hard top be a fan. I quess the memories of good teams will always substitute for the bad product that management has forced on the Cleveland fans. Sometimes the truth hurts…..that the team will never be any good and management needs to follow some of Chris’s advise….how about a winner in Cleveland except the basketball and football team???????? It is not always about spending money….sometime you have to spend money to make money!!!!

  • mgbode

    something about beer, chicken wings and the Red Sox collapsing down the stretch.

    good thing they fired him because they did not have to worry about a September collapse this season :)

  • mgbode

    here is why I would want Francona as manager. I highly doubt he agrees to manage unless the FO outlines a specific plan for payroll and players that they will be targeting. like you mention, Francona is going to cost $$ but he will also demand a team (and has the clout to demand one).

    we have a “committed” payroll of around $42mil or so after arbitration. much less if we do end up trading Choo & Perez. we should have an opening day payroll around $70mil if we keep to our “standard” budget instead of our teardown budget. Francona makes me more comfortable that our FO/owner is committing to the standard budget.

    now, spending that $$ wisely is another thing altogether.

  • cmm13

    Agreed.

    If Sandy is hired expect the tear down budget and 3 seasons of turmoil.

    If Francona is the pick it should mean brighter times payroll speaking.

  • The_Real_Shamrock

    It’ll only be fitting if Francona brings his Curse-killing to Cleveland. He rid us of the Curse of the Bambino and now it’s time for the Curse of Colavitto! I’m still bitter the way he was treated a year ago but if he lands in Cleveland this will ease some of that bitterness even if it’s at the expense of the mighty Sox.

  • The_Real_Shamrock

    In a perfect world Francona is named manager and Alomar is kept on in some capacity learning under Francona’s wing. Of course as others have pointed out it would sure be nice to see ownership loosen the purse strings and for Antonetti to demonstrate that he can live up to all of those people who fawned over him as being so baseball smart.

  • porckchopexpress

    I guess for me its that last line that concerns me. I have lost faith in Antonetti. I’m not just harping on the CC/Lee trades, those things happen. I just find it incomprehensible that he (and Shapiro before him, to be fair) allowed the drafting, farm system/player development to fall to such a low level. Aside from that I just don’t hear anything that comes out of his mouth that sounds like a plan or direction for the team.
    Besides, whats the big deal about Francona, he is so overrated. If you take away those two WS championships, the guy hasn’t won a thing. Why would you pay top dollar for a guy who practically hasn’t won anything. Sorry, new argument strategy I’m trying out.

  • BisonDeleSightings

    I’ve never been fired from a baseball job, either. Tribe dugout, here I come!

  • Steve

    It makes sense to pay a guy who is interested in being here and is willing to negotiate that deal. That’s what the Indians did with Hafner, Westbrook, Cabrera, and at one point Sabathia. The Indians have done a pretty decent job for a small market team in keeping guys around.

    What the Indians can’t do is outbid bigger markets for guys who want more than a few extra dollars to come to this backwater town. There is a difference.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Torismylover4ever Jake Udell

    i agree he was let go more because of the stench from the image of the beer and wings in the clubhouse from last year than performance. which is why i felt josh beckett was on his way out of beantown one way or another

  • porckchopexpress

    I’m sorry but it doesn’t make sense to allocate premium dollars for the least important aspect of a baseball team. You could not convince me that even a few million more dollars would be better spent on Francona rather then on players and Alomar as a cheaper managerial option. Please try not to use Hafner’s contract that launched 1000 trades, and the phrase “The Indians have done a decent job…” in consecutive sentences. Fair or not to blame the FO that deal has killed this team since ’07, you simply can’t use it as an argument for this team doing a decent job of keeping guys around.
    Was it hard to convince decent free agents such as Alomar, Herscheiser, D. Martinez, Justice (not prime time Justice I know) and McDowell to come to this “backwater town”? Top tier FA will always follow the money, but second tier guys will go to solid winning franchises that either give them a chance to win a title, or showcase their skills for the next payday.