The Cincinnati Reds kicked off their offseason in the best way possible, by replacing former manager David Bell with legendary manager Terry Francona.
The move for Francona appears to be just the beginning for Cincinnati this winter, though. The Reds will be investing more into their roster because they wouldn't have been able to swoop Francona out of retirement unless they were all-in to buying and winning.
Francona is already a welcomed and loved piece of the Reds organization. Recently, Francona took a trip down to the Dominican Republic where he met with multiple current Reds, including the team's superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
Francona returned to the states with nothing but good things to say. He also shared his hopes and goals for the Reds' 22-year-old superstar shortstop.
"My goal is not for him (De La Cruz) just to be an exciting good player, it's for him to be one of the best players in baseball on one of the best teams in baseball," Francona said to Reds broadcaster Jim Day.
De La Cruz has all of the tools to be one of the best players in baseball. In just his second big league season, he slashed .259/.339/.471 with 67 stolen bases, 25 home runs, 10 triples, and 36 doubles. He was an incredible base runner and the advanced analytics indicated that he was a well-above-average defender as well.
But the part where Francona includes "On one of the best teams in baseball" is where the Reds were lacking last season.
De La Cruz has the tools and Francona has the pull to improve the roster. If Francona's dreams come to fruition, we could be looking at a very different Reds team in 2025.
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