Terry Francona adds Brad Mills to Cleveland Indians coaching staff

Brad Mills is expected to join Terry Francona on the Cleveland Indians coaching staff

Terry Francona’s objective: To galvanize floundering Indians youngsters

The mandate for new Indians manager Terry Francona is quite clear.

Terry Francona has out clause with Indians if management is released

Newly hired manager Terry Francona has an out clause in his contract that will allow him to leave the Cleveland Indians if his superiors -- Chris Antonetti and Mark Shapiro -- are dismissed. This comes according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Francona has publicly stated that he was drawn to the Indians in part because of his close relationship with Shapiro (the team's president) and Antonetti (the general manager).

Antonetti has come under criticism lately, and he may be in danger of losing his job. Fans and the media have been particularly critical of his decision to trade for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. The righty has won just 13 games (against 21 losses) in his first two seasons in Cleveland, posting an ERA over 5.00 in both seasons.

Still, it is unlikely that the Indians would have granted Francona such a clause if they were planning to fire Antonetti in the near future.

Sandy Alomar expected back on Terry Francona's Indians staff

The Cleveland Indians hired Terry Francona as their new manager, passing over longtime Indian and then-interim manager Sandy Alomar. However, it would seem that there's a good chance Alomar returns to the team next year, according to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.

"I'm a professional with one more year on my contract," said Alomar in a text. "I expect to come back. Terry said he wants me on the staff."

Alomar served as the Indians' bench coach this past season before Manny Acta was fired. It's expected that he would return to that position after managing the team for the final six games of the season. All the coaches on the previous staff will reportedly receive consideration from Francona on whether they're brought back.

It's possible that Alomar could be hired to manage another team this offseason. He was interviewed by the Red Sox last year before they hired Bobby Valentine, and many expect Colorado to part ways with Jim Tracy soon.

Indians introduce Terry Francona, working to fill coaching staff

Newly hired Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona was officially introduced at a press conference Monday and will now begin working to fill in his coaching staff.

Francona says that he they will consider both everyone currently on staff with Cleveland and outside coaches to fill the positions.

The former Red Sox manager emerged as a candidate this month, competing with Sandy Alomar for the position. He said it was premature to talk about putting a staff together, but that he did reach out to Alomar specifically.

"I think, just to be completely candid, because Sandy was a candidate for the job, I reached out to him immediately. Just because I thought it was respectful and he's very aware of how I feel about him and his baseball ability. I played with Sandy in winter ball."

Francona has a career record of 1029-915 in eight years as a manager, all spent with the Boston Red Sox. The Cleveland Indians finished 2012 with a record of 68-94.

Terry Francona press conference: Indians manager peppered with questions about payroll

Terry Francona was officially introduced as the Indians manager on Monday, and the former Tribe player continually cited his past relationship with the organization, specifically Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, for his decision to take the position. His press conference addressed that history with the team, but the assembled media members were far more interested in what he had to say about the constant hot topic of the Tribe's spending.

The former Red Sox manager emerged as a candidate this month, and the news became official on Saturday that he'd be taking the reins for a franchise repeatedly criticized for their parsimonious ways. The process was wrapped up in quick and tidy fashion, and Francona said he did not inquire about payroll spending nor ask for any payroll assurances during the interview. "I didn't ask for that. I don't want to say it's none of my business, but that wasn't one of the questions," Francona said. "We're going to work together and figure out how to tackle challenges. I don't need to be the general manager nor the owner. I'm perfectly content being the manager. I don't know what the payroll is."

Francona understands that the job in Cleveland will be much different from the position he held in Boston, and he was asked how he'll tackle working for an organization with budget restrictions. He reiterated that it won't affect his role in the dugout, stating, "I don't think it changes my job. Players are players."

The new manager was asked point-blank if, under the current economic system in Major League Baseball, winning has anything to do with budget or payroll. In a moment that he labeled as "frank," the man they call "Tito" did say a bigger budget allows for some wiggle room. "I think having a big budget allows you to maybe cover up some of your mistakes. So you'll have to limit your mistakes." If the past decade is any indication, that limit is extremely low on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

As long as the Dolan family owns the team, payroll will be a continual topic of conversation. If Francona didn't realize how much the team's spending is a source of angst around town, he certainly does now after being constantly asked about it in his first day on the job.

The club is held against the impossible standard of the glory years in the 90s, while playing in a markedly different economic landscape. Francona understands those challenges, and thankfully, he's entering the situation with eyes wide open.

Terry Francona introduced as Indians manager, discusses emotional connection to Tribe

The Cleveland Indians announced Terry Francona as manager on Monday, and in doing so confirmed that the ex-Boston Red Sox skipper has signed a four-year contract with the team. In speaking with reporters, Francona said that he feels a connection to the franchise thanks to his and his family's history with the Indians:

"I kind of cried a little bit. I didn't want to, but it just happened. You can't take a job because your dad was a good Indian, but it's still a good story. My dad spent six years here, this is my third stint with the Indians, and it's pretty special. It was a little emotional."

Francona played for the Indians near the end of his career in 1988 and spent 2001 as a special assistant to the general manager after being fired as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Francona also said in his press conference that he's maintained a relationship with Indians brass Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti:

"We've kept in touch for the last 12 years. I value not only their friendship, but their guidance and leadership. I know we have challenges ahead of us, but I look forward to tackling these challenges together."

This will be the third club Francona has managed, following a disappointing four-year run with the Phillies and a considerably more successful eight-year term with the Red Sox that included two World Series victories. Francona's career record as a manager is 1029-915, good for a .529 winning percentage.

For the Indians, Francona will be the team's third permanent manager in the last 10 seasons. He follows in the footsteps of Eric Wedge and Manny Acta.

Terry Francona hired as Indians manager, hopes to keep Sandy Alomar on staff

Terry Francona will be named manager of the Cleveland Indians on Monday, and he hopes to add the man he replaces on his staff.

Sandy Alomar Jr. took over as interim manager when Manny Acta was fired and was reportedly a candidate to get the job on a permanent basis before the team hired Francona. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that both the front office and Francona hope that Alomar accepts a position on Francona's managerial staff. Hoynes didn't indicate which position they hoped Alomar would fill. Alomar was the team's bench coach on Acta's staff.

Hoynes also reported that Francona will sign a 4-year contract.

Francona, who comes from a big market team with a huge budget in Boston, said via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com that he's not worried about the payroll differences between Boston and Cleveland. "I'm looking to maybe get back to coaching and ... trying to impact young players," he said.

Terry Francona to be confirmed as Indians manager Monday

Terry Francona is going to be confirmed on Monday as the next manager of the Cleveland Indians, according to the Major League Baseball Twitter feed. Francona interviewed for the position on Friday, and has maintained that he was genuinely interested in the position despite rumors that he was interviewing only as a favor to Indians president Mark Shapiro. Francona is close to both Shapiro and Indians GM Chris Antonetti.

Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday that Francona was set to take the job, but Francona later told ESPN that those reports were "very premature."

The Indians position opened up when Manny Acta was fired with six games remaining in the 2012 season. Sandy Alomar Jr. finished the season as interim manager, and early reports had him as the favorite for the job after he interviewed for it on Thursday. Acta had been in charge of the Indians since the 2010 season.

Francona last managed in the major leagues for the Boston Red Sox, leading them to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. He has a 1029-915 record in his managerial career.

Terry Francona reportedly chosen as Cleveland Indians next manager

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cleveland Indians will be hiring Terry Francona as their next manager and will be announcing the move on Monday.

Terry Francona optimistic after interview with Indians

Former Boston Red Sox skipper Terry Francona left his Friday interview with Cleveland Indians executives encouraged and he is excited about a possible return to the field after spending the last year as an ESPN analyst, according to an MLB.com report.

Francona became the Red Sox manager in 2004 and immediately led Boston to a World Series crown, its first since 1918, and won another in 2007 before being fired following a historic collapse at the end of the 2011 season. He wants to manage again, but it sounds like Francona has his sights set only on the Tribe's dugout.

Terry Francona just said on "Baseball Tonight" he only has 2 options: 1. Manage the #Indians 2. Return to ESPN (Won't manage anywhere else).

— Nick Camino (@CaminoTribe) October 6, 2012

Francona is seemingly vying with former Indians catcher and current bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr., who ended the season as interim manager following Manny Acta's firing on Sept. 27. Francona has his own connections to the Indians - his father played for the Tribe from 1959-64 and worked in the club's front office in 2001 after managing the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000.

Indians manager search: Terry Francona interviews in Cleveland on Friday

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona will be interviewing for the vacant managerial job in Cleveland on Friday afternoon. There has been speculation that Francona would be out of the price range for Cleveland, but Indians GM Chris Antonetti say money will not be a limiting factor in their search for a manager (via Tom Withers):

Antonetti said economics will not be an issue in #Indians search for manager.

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 4, 2012

There has been speculation that Francona was simply interviewing for the job as a favor for Indians' president Mark Shapiro, giving the impression that Cleveland is serious about landing one of the bigger names on the market. Antonetti addressed that topic, as well as a timetable on when fans can expect to know the next manager of the Indians (via ESPN Cleveland):

"With respect to his interest, I don’t think Terry would be coming in tomorrow if he wasn’t genuinely interested and we wouldn’t have him in here for an interview if we weren’t interested."

"My preference would be to resolve it as quickly as we can but I don’t want to do that at the expense at making sure we get the right person in place to lead our major league team."

The Indians fired Manny Acta in the final week of the season, and Sandy Alomar Jr. took over for the final six games. Alomar also interviewed for the Indians' managerial job on Thursday afternoon.

Terry Francona will meet with Indians on Friday, according to report

With both sides showing interest in a possible deal, Terry Francona and the Cleveland Indians will meet Friday to discuss the team's vacant managerial position, according to Matt Loede of 92.3 The Fan. The club is expected to offer the former Red Sox skipper the position as manager over the weekend.

One of the most successful managers in recent memory, Francona led the Red Sox to five postseason appearances and two World Series championships over his eight-year tenure in Boston. He was fired by the Red Sox in 2011 following the team's massive collapse at the end of the season, which cost the team a playoff spot.

The Indians aren't entirely committed to Francona, though, as they're also interviewing interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. over the weekend, as Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer reports. Some believe that Alomar has a very good shot at the job, even with Francona showing interest given his reputation around the league.

Terry Francona will interview with Indians, according to report

Terry Francona is expected to interview for the Indians managerial position sometime this week.