Indians manager Francona feeling better, excited for 2021

Cleveland — Terry Francona's feeling more fit and a little feisty. That's welcome news for Cleveland.

After missing most of this past season with significant health problems, Francona said Monday that he's stronger physically and looking forward to managing again in 2021, his ninth season with the club and 21st in the majors.

“I feel good. I've spent the last six weeks really working hard,” Francona said on a call from his home in Arizona. "I told (Indians president of baseball operations) Chris (Antonetti) I needed to do that. I said, ‘Hey, give me until Thanksgiving just to make sure I'm OK.' We're coming up on Thanksgiving now and I'm doing pretty well.

“I've been active, lost some weight and feel like I'm putting myself in a better position to succeed physically over the course of a long season.”

One of baseball's best and most well-liked managers, Francona was in the dugout with the Indians for only 14 games this year due to a gastrointestinal issue requiring several surgeries. He also suffered some bloodclot complications that landed him in the hospital for several days.

He's eager to return to doing what he loves most.

“I will be extremely excited, I guarantee you. I wouldn't have come back if I wasn't,” he said. “I think you're cheating the organization to have somebody in charge who's not excited. The timetable is still the same. You go through the holidays and then you get to the first of the year and everybody gets the itch to come back.”

Francona has assembled his coaching staff for 2021, and for the first time in a long time it won't include close friend and bench coach Brad Mills, who opted out last season for personal reasons and will be back with the Indians in another capacity.

Francona said Mills recently visited him to explain his decision to not be in uniform.