5 Cleveland Guardians manager candidates if Terry Francona actually retires

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It has hardly been a secret that Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona's time at the helm seemed like it could be coming to an end soon. Francona's health issues dating back to the 2021 brought into focus the fact that Francona has been doing this for a long time and many wondered just how much longer he was going to stick around as great as he has been.

Those thoughts came back in full force with Francona's comments yesterday that he could retire after the 2023 season. He did not say explicitly that he was going to be done after this season, but Francona did talk a lot about the toll the life of a manager has taken on his body and how much medical work it is going to take this offseason to even get close to ready to come back. It didn't take much reading between the lines to see that Francona is seriously considering calling it a career.

Things could change, of course. However, in the event that Francona does indeed call it quits, it is fair to wonder who would take over for him as the Guardians' skipper.

Here are 5 managerial candidates for the Guardians if Terry Francona actually retires this time

One thing to keep in mind this early in the process is that it isn't known who is actually going to be available on the job market. Coaches are going to get fired after the season most certainly and others are going to move around to different positions in other organizations which will cause all sorts of dominoes to fall. This is purely an early look at some intriguing options and not guys you should expect Cleveland to be on the phone with in the next couple of days.

Let's take a look at some of the manager candidates options that Cleveland could target if/when Terry Francona actually retires.

Demarlo Hale - Guardians Bench Coach

It is always a good idea to look at an organization's internal options first when it comes to managerial openings. Existing coaches know how the team operates and is already familiar with the players. There is a risk that such a move can prevent needed changes from happening since it isn't a fresh set of eyes, but institutional memory does matter in a lot of cases. Sandy Alomar Jr. is a possibility given his longevity with Cleveland, but DeMarlo Hale gets the nod as the best option here.

Hale has a ton of experience with a number of organizations coaching at a high level including the Braves, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers, and Red Sox. His experience as a minor league manager would help him in dealing with younger players as they make it to the big league roster. On top of that, he has been Cleveland's go-to guy when Terry Francona has missed games already included an extended stint in 2021 as the Guardians' interim manager when Francona needed to take a leave of absence to attend to his health. When in doubt, always look at a team's bench coach first in these situations.

Walt Weiss - Braves Bench Coach

Weiss is an interesting option as he brings some old school chops while also coming from a Braves organization that has done very well by marrying old school know-how and advanced data into winning baseball games. He also has the added benefit of having actual managerial experience under his belt and while his time with the Colorado Rockies from 2013-2016 didn’t go particularly well, Colorado is a place where hopes and dreams go to die so we won’t hold that against him too much.

The question ultimately is whether or not Weiss would even be interested. He has been connected to recent managerial openings including the Marlins, but he declined a request for an interview. It is possible that his experience in Colorado soured him on managing altogether or that he is very content in Atlanta and would only leave for a really prime situation which, to be blunt, may not be the case in Cleveland. It is worth noting that Braves manager Brian Snitker is not a young man and if he were to retire in the next few years, Weiss could be their next manager in waiting.

George Lombard - Tigers Bench Coach

The former Dodgers first base coach and current Tigers bench coach George Lombard has some things going for him. He would be coming from an analytics-forward team so he knows how that process works, but is also a former player and is very adept at coaching young guys particularly when it comes to playing in the outfield and running the bases. It is also nice that it seems like he is detail oriented which should help players continue to make micro improvements and adjustments over the course of a season.

Lombard is a known commodity around baseball and once we get to the offseason, it is highly likely that the teams with managerial vacancies are going to come knocking given that he is a youngish guy that is already highly regarded. He already interviewed for the Tigers’ manager opening that ultimately went to AJ Hinch, so he clearly has aspirations of being a skipper, but the competition for his services may be fierce.

Tony Mansolino - Orioles Third Base Coach

It is weird to be looking at any coach from the Baltimore Orioles given how bad they were for a long time, but here we are. While Mansolino’s major league coaching experience is limited, his dad was a big league coach with several teams and he has extensive experience as a manager in the minor leagues. That sort of experience in player development is really, really helpful especially for a team like the Guardians that is going to have to try and get some of the young guys on their roster going.

The issue with a guy like Mansolino is that if the Guardians are going to move on from a guy like Terry Francona, they are probably going to want to be more risk-averse with his replacement. An experienced big league coach is likely to have the upper hand especially if they come from an organization with a track record of winning. Don’t get us wrong: the Baltimore Orioles are a really, really fun story this year and could end up being awesome for a long time. Cleveland just may prefer a guy from a team with a longer track record of success.

Rodney Linares - Rays Bench Coach

It isn’t a managerial candidates list without mentioning someone in the Rays organization (it is really a shame that they play in a terrible market with a cheap owner) and Rodney Linares gets the nod here although there are several current and former options to choose from. Linares has had extensive (and successful) experience as a minor league manager with the Astros before joining the Rays as their third base coach after the 2018 season and getting promoted to bench coach for this season after Matt Quatraro got hired to manage the Royals.

Coming from two of the best analytics teams in baseball has a lot of benefits and one of the biggest ones is that those teams know how to use data effectively. Baseball is still played on the field and that means players need to have information communicated to them in ways they both understand, believe in, and execute the game plan. Not having a ton of experience dealing with larger media markets is a downside, but shouldn’t be a dealbreaker in a market like Cleveland.

Linares is only 45 years old, but he still has a ton of experience helping players young and old get with the program, develop, and improve. Having long-lasting connections with players in Latin America including managing in the Dominican Winter League and managing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in 2023 certainly doesn’t hurt his case, either, as being able to relate to players who may not speak English as their primary language is a big plus.

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