Barely a year after Terry Francona managed his last game with the Cleveland Guardians, the Cincinnati Reds hired the man many consider one of the top two or three managers in the game in recent years to replace David Bell.

Multiple sources confirmed the hiring to the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, of the hiring Thursday night immediately after the wild-card round of the playoffs finished.

Francona declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday night.

He joins the Reds on a three-year contract, sources said.

Francona, 65, left the Guardians after 11 seasons last year in large part because of health reasons. He made a point at the time to say he wasn't "retiring" and said then that he hoped to stay in the game in some capacity.

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“I don’t foresee managing (again)," he said at the time. "I don’t have a crystal ball. Nobody does. Because if I was gonna manage, I like doing it here (in Cleveland). But I also don’t want to just turn away from the game.” 

A report in April said that his health had improved enough that he anticipated managing again, possibility in 2026.

It's the second time in two years that a Hall of Fame-bound manager has come out of "retirement" to manage again. The Texas Rangers hired Bruce Bochy before the 2023 season after three seasons away from managing, and the Rangers won their first World Series championship that season.

Francona, an outfielder and first baseman for 10 years in the big leagues, has 1,950 managerial wins in 23 years managing the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland.

His 921 in Cleveland are a franchise record.

Francona won World Series with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, and took Cleveland to Game 7 against the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

He has a career .538 winning percentage as a manager, winning 90 or more games 12 times.

The 22nd overall pick in the 1980 draft out of the University of Arizona, Francona spent one season of his playing career with the Reds, in 1987, a teammate of Barry Larkin and Buddy Bell.