Terry Francona Worth Five Wins to Cincinnati Reds But Front Office FAILURES Limited His Impact

The Cincinnati Reds' 2025 season reached the postseason, but what drove that success and what does it mean for the future? Terry Francona's first year as manager brought a laser-focused, day-to-day mentality that helped the team win crucial September games, a stark contrast to previous managers who would sacrifice today's game for tomorrow's bullpen availability. The hosts examine whether David Bell could have achieved the same results and credit Francona with approximately six additional wins despite notable mistakes with Ian Gibaut and Miguel Andújar. Jeff and Steve grade GM Nick Krall's performance at C-plus to B-minus, praising his willingness to eat Jeimer Candelario's contract and build a competent bullpen while criticizing his failure to address the middle-of-the-order bat and outfield problems. The conversation shifts to ownership structure, revealing the Castellinis spend only 42.6% of revenue on payroll compared to the Mets' 90% and Dodgers' 70%+. They explore Dick Williams' departure, explaining how he refused to dismantle his vision of a 90-win team, and discuss why the ownership group operates the franchise as a business generating passive income rather than a passion project. Tune in for realistic expectations about the 2026 offseason and what the upcoming CBA negotiations could mean for Cincinnati Reds fans. Blog on Reds Ownership - https://atobttreds.substack.com/p/on-reds-ownership?utm_medium=web Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-reds/ https://www.youtube.com/@LockedOnReds?sub_confirmation=1 Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnMLB BOOKMARK Sports Illustrated’s Cincinnati Reds site, Inside the Reds! https://www.si.com/mlb/reds/ Also follow @jefffcarr and @soffenbaker on Twitter JOIN THE DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/STMcRDyMCt For your next listen, check out the Locked On MLB podcast. Get Sully’s take on MLB! He has it all covered every single day. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicks Download the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONMLB to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.PrizePicks — Run Your Game.Click Link Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONMLB Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) #Reds #CincinnatiReds #MLB Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.