Cincinnati Reds game at Great American Ball Park in 2023.
Obtained from Wikimedia Commons
While fans of the Cincinnati Reds may feel a familiar sting as their team’s season concludes without a deep postseason run, to view the 2025 season as a failure is a mistake. This year was about laying the foundation for success to come.
Under the leadership of new manager Terry Francona, the Reds are undeniably on an upward trajectory, and history shows that to be a likely possibility.
When looking for a new manager for the season, the Reds had one person in mind. After a short two-year retirement, the former Reds player and Cleveland Guardians manger had an opportunity knock on his door. I mean actually knock on his door; the president and general manager of the team were so sure of his abilities that they flew to his home in Tucson, Arizona to convince him themselves.
Francona’s track record is defined by his ability to take teams and mold them into champions. When he took over the Boston Red Sox in 2004, he guided them to a World Series title in his very first season, famously ending the 86-year “Curse of the Bambino.”
His impact was similarly transformative with the Cleveland Guardians. Upon his arrival in 2013, he immediately led them to the postseason. A World Series appearance came just three years later in 2016. Francona’s career demonstrates that he doesn’t just manage the existing roster, he develops them.
The Francona Effect is already happening Cincinnati. He inherited a roster of mainly new players that need guidance on how to turn their ability into a consistency. Francona expertly manages personalities and coaches them through the pressures of full and postseason runs.
While the 2025 season concluded without much postseason advancement, the team’s ability to remain competitive and earn a Wild Card spot shows it is clear that this team is being coached the way they should be.
I believe they could have made it much farther in the postseason if they didn’t have to face the reigning champions in the first round. Perhaps more time to get into the swing of things would have proved useful for such a scrappy team.
Nevertheless, the Reds’ 2025 season was merely the first step of a major climb led by one of baseball’s most established managers. The sting of falling short will soon be replaced by the thrill of a new season. The Reds are on their way up.
The opinions expressed by the columnist are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The News Record. If you have any concerns or feedback, please feel free to reach out at editor@newsrecord.org.