A year after guiding the Cincinnati Reds back to Major League Baseball’s postseason for the first time since 2020, manager Terry Francona is hungry for more.Francona believes the Reds have the talent to win the National League Central for the first time since 2012 as he enters his second season at the helm of the club.Francona is a baseball lifer, entering his 25thseason as a manager with 2,033 wins. He got his 2,000th win last season in Cincinnati but said this week that his legacy isn’t what matters as he leads the Reds into 2026.“Truth be told, I don’t care about my legacy,” Francona said. “As a manager, I think if you’re doing it the right way, you’re always thinking about everybody else, the organization, and you put yourself a distant last.”Francona acknowledged that winning his 2,000thgame was a neat milestone but that isn’t why he returned to the dugout after taking the 2024 season away from the game.“It’s got to be about the players,” Francona said. “If we can set it up where they’re enjoying trying to do the right thing, we’re in a good place.”Francona addressed the Reds as a full squad on Monday and said he is focused on a singular message for the players to understand: “it’s time.”“Last year, we kind of talked about balancing developing young players and not losing the will to compete,” Francona said. “Well, these guys got a couple years under their belt now and are we younger than some of the teams we’re competing against? Yeah. That doesn’t mean we can’t stand up and go toe-to-toe. It’s time for us to do that.”

CINCINNATI —

A year after guiding the Cincinnati Reds back to Major League Baseball’s postseason for the first time since 2020, manager Terry Francona is hungry for more.

Francona believes the Reds have the talent to win the National League Central for the first time since 2012 as he enters his second season at the helm of the club.

Francona is a baseball lifer, entering his 25thseason as a manager with 2,033 wins. He got his 2,000th win last season in Cincinnati but said this week that his legacy isn’t what matters as he leads the Reds into 2026.

“Truth be told, I don’t care about my legacy,” Francona said. “As a manager, I think if you’re doing it the right way, you’re always thinking about everybody else, the organization, and you put yourself a distant last.”

Francona acknowledged that winning his 2,000thgame was a neat milestone but that isn’t why he returned to the dugout after taking the 2024 season away from the game.

“It’s got to be about the players,” Francona said. “If we can set it up where they’re enjoying trying to do the right thing, we’re in a good place.”

Francona addressed the Reds as a full squad on Monday and said he is focused on a singular message for the players to understand: “it’s time.”

“Last year, we kind of talked about balancing developing young players and not losing the will to compete,” Francona said. “Well, these guys got a couple years under their belt now and are we younger than some of the teams we’re competing against? Yeah. That doesn’t mean we can’t stand up and go toe-to-toe. It’s time for us to do that.”

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Reds manager Terry Francona’s 2026 opening speech is tomorrow morning. It will sound much different than the one last year:

“I’ve told our players — it’s time. Are we younger than some other teams? Yeah. That doesn’t mean we can’t go toe to toe. It is time for us to do that.” pic.twitter.com/6k140sID9I

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) February 15, 2026