Terry Francona just made the Reds' succession plan painfully obvious

All signs point to Terry Francona returning as the Cincinnati Reds manager in 2027, but beyond that, his future is up in the air. During Friday's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, Tito sent the most obvious signal to date as to who he believes should be his eventual successor. Francona ceded managerial duties to bench coach Mike Napoli on Friday night in Toronto.

Napoli made the pitching changes during the Reds' 6-5 loss to the Jays and was also the one answering questions from reporters after the game. Francona told Reds radio voice Tommy Thrall about his plan heading into Friday's game.

"He said, 'I'm going to let Nap run the game today.' And, really, Mike Napoli has been one of Tito's top lieutenants in the dugout all season long," Thrall said. "He's (Francona) going to serve as basically the bench coach for the game tonight. He's giving Napoli a chance to run the game, basically manage the team tonight."

Francona has a club-option for the 2028 season, and while it's difficult to see the Reds passing up an opportunity to bring back the future Hall of Famer for a fourth season, Tito's getting a bit long in the tooth.

The Reds essentially coaxed Francona out of retirement in 2024 after citing health concerns as one of biggest reasons for his departure from the Cleveland Guardians following the 2023 season. Francona's résumé is unquestioned, and many expected big things for the Reds this season after a return to the postseason in 2025.

Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Reds this season. No one knows which direction the franchise is headed going into the offseason, and the impending lockout clouds the future even further.

If and when Francona decides to hang 'em up for good, it would seem he's made it clear who he believes could (and should) lead the Reds franchise forward.

Terry Francona is obviously stumping for Mike Napoli to be the next Reds manager

Napoli made his big-league debut in 2006 with the Los Angeles Angels. He joined Francona's former team, the Boston Red Sox, in 2013, but it wasn't until he signed a one-year deal with Cleveland in 2016 that Napoli crossed paths with Tito. He re-signed with Cleveland in 2018, but injuries forced him to miss the season, and he retired later than year.

Napoli joined the Chicago Cubs coaching staff as the quality assurance coach in 2019 and was promoted to be the team's first base coach three years later. He left the North Side of Chicago after the 2024 season and joined Francona's staff in Cincinnati as the team's Major League Staff Assistant. He was promoted to bench coach after the 2025 season.

While his ascension to Major League manager isn't imminent, having ties to Tito's coaching tree certainly won't hurt Napoli's résumé. If he sticks around Cincinnati long enough, you don't have to squint very hard to see that he could be Francona's successor.

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