Terry Francona’s honeymoon with the Cincinnati Reds was short-lived
Message: Just like the last boss, meet the new one. In ten games worth a crap, Tito hasn’t messed anything up. He and the talent (the Reds have) are overhyped. Just awful ownership.
Message: Please let us know if you see any differences between this year and last year outside the starting pitchers. Base running is sloppy. Hit a home run or nothing at all. losing games by a single run. Typical remarks: “It’s still early. extended season. playing with vigor. We are aware of our superiority, etc. The bottom line is the same as before—no upgrades to the offense.
Reaction: These are only a few of the many emails sent by irate Reds supporters.
Yeah, it’s early. And under many circumstances, Terry Francona and this team should deserve fans’ patience and understanding.
Forget that. Fans have every right to be ticked off. This 4-7 start – accompanied by some of the same Little League mistakes that doomed the 2024 Reds and cost David Bell his job – is flat out unacceptable.
Bell was sacked by the Reds, who stated that they would not accept this kind of play. It’s time to play the game the right way and win, the Reds said in a statement following Bell’s dismissal and Tito’s appointment. The Reds made an effort to convey to their supporters that they were also tired of losing playoff series since 1995.
After that, ownership took no action to enhance the fielding and hitting.
The words and the actions don’t align. It’s been the story of the last two Reds owners. Look at this roster. Jake Fraley. Jeimer Candelario. Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Not much about this roster says the Reds are bringing “championship baseball back to Cincinnati” anytime soon.
The only significant move the Reds made in the offseason was retaining Nick Martinez, who was Cincinnati’s best pitcher down the stretch last season. And if the Reds didn’t face such an early deadline on Martinez’s qualifying offer, they may not have kept him. That move was made before baseball operations head Nick Krall received his 2025 player payroll budget.
When Bell was fired, I stated that he wasn’t the issue. They used him as a scapegoat. Others in the media and even others in the Reds organization attempted to dissuade me.
Too many individuals were sucked into the Tito hype, both inside and outside the company. They believed that he was the Reds’ savior and that he was the only thing this upstart team needed to qualify for the playoffs. There were occasions when I caught myself in it. I apologize.
Whether or not the manager is going to the Hall of Fame, there is only so much he can accomplish. Since Davey Johnson departed town following the 1995 NLCS disaster against Atlanta, how many times have you heard that?
Tito was not given a big-league outfield by the Reds over the summer. The team chose not to acquire a big-league third baseman who could score runs. Alex Bregman, a Gold Glove third baseman and two-time World Series winner and All-Star, was available to the Reds.
They passed.
It’s certainly not time to hit the panic button. The Reds have pitching, so they should be competitive. But Reds fans don’t want to hear that. Who can blame them? Two generations of Reds fans have been repeatedly told the club is supposed to be competitive.
Well, no one remembers a competitive team.