Terry Francona hints at least one member of David Bell's staff will return to Reds

The Cincinnati Reds had their introductory press conference to kick off a new era in the Queen City. Terry Francona was introduced as the Reds new manager, and now it's time to get to work.

Francona mentioned during the presser that he he'd soon begin talking with team executives, coaches, and players to formulate a plan for the upcoming season. One of the coaches in attendance on Monday morning was Collin Cowgill. The Reds first base coach since 2023, Cowgill played for Francona in 2016 and could very well return to the Cincinnati dugout in 2025.

New Reds manager Terry Francona hints that Collin Cowgill could return in 2025

Francona was asked during the press conference about whether or not he planned to retain any of the existing coaching staff. "We've obviously talked a little bit, but we didn't want to get ahead of ourselves," Francona then smiled and gestured toward Cowgill saying, "Collin, who's here today, actually was with me for a little bit in Cleveland."

Francona's little smirk, not to mention the relationship that Cowgill has with the current Reds players likely works in his favor. Cowgill has been instrumental in the Reds' running game the past two seasons, and it would seem that Francona has a similar type of mindset when it comes to being aggressive on the base paths.

As it pertains to the rest of the Reds coaching staff, it'll be interesting to see how things shakeout in the coming days an weeks. Will Francona retain Freddie Benavides as the team's bench coach heading into next season or is the Reds-lifer looking for a bigger opportunity with another franchise? Hitting coach Joel McKeithan has been oft-criticized by the Reds fanbase, and could be a casualty of the new regime.

One coach who's still under contract with Cincinnati is Derek Johnson. The Reds pitching coach, who is also the director of pitching, will surely be retained heading into 2025 and beyond. The Reds front office, and most executives throughout baseball, hold Johnson in high esteem.

With Francona officially in the fold, the work truly begins. New and intriguing information is sure to become available as the offseason is set to begin in just a couple of weeks.

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