Terry Francona’s Manager of the Year nomination proves the bar just got lower

Cincinnati Reds' skipper Terry Francona is among the three finalists for this year's NL Manager of the Year Award. Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers and Rob Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies are the other managers up for this year's honors.

Murphy is the odds-on favorite to win this year's award, and he should be. The Brewers' manager led his team to the No. 1 seed in the National League this season, but were outmatched by the Los Angeles Dodgers after reaching the NLCS.

Tito's inclusion is mildly curious, however. While the Reds skipper certainly deserves credit for helping to guide Cincinnati back to the playoffs for the first time in a 162-game season since 2013, 83 wins is hardly worth the recognition that comes with being a finalist for the Manager of the Year. But who else was the BBWAA going to pick?

Reds skipper Terry Francona among the finalist for the 2025 NL Manager of the Year Award

When looking over the NL landscape, Murphy was an obvious pick to be among this year's finalist. Frankly, he's a slam dunk to win the award, and neither Francona nor Thomson were necessarily deserving of inclusion. Tito's team backed into the playoffs thanks to an epic collapse from the New York Mets, and Philly's star-studded roster was always going to be among the best in baseball.

But the BBWAA really had nowhere else to turn. Los Angels Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts should be disqualified every year. Much like Thomson, it doesn't take a top-tier manager whose roster is loaded with superstars and former MVPs to lead his team to the postseason.

Though Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell and San Diego Padres skipper Mike Shildt led their teams to the playoffs, both were expected to be in hunt this season. Neither man necessarily went above and beyond with the resources they were given. Every other team in the NL, outside of the Mets, finished the year with a record at or below .500.

Given the choices, Francona deserves to be among the three finalists. But David Bell once guided the Reds to an 83-win season and nobody was clamoring for him to receive Manager of the Year honors. Tito's inclusion is warranted, but it's a sign that this year's crop of managers weren't very good.