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.