Terry Francona is taking charge as the Cincinnati Reds new manager. Francona is facing decisions about the coaching staff. Part of the efforts to make the Reds contenders.

The Reds are shaking up their coaching staff. Earlier this week, the team fired their three hitting coaches. Joel McKeithan, Terry Bradshaw and Tim LaMont. In one of the first major staff decisions made. Since hiring Terry Francona to be their manager last week. Along with this, there’s uncertainty about whether first base coach Collin Cowgill, third base coach J.R. House and assistant manager Freddie Benavides will retain their jobs.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Cowgill, House and Benavides kept their jobs. Cowgill was lauded in 2023 for helping the Reds showcase a more aggressive side on the bases. The Reds didn’t showcase that same style in 2024. With Elly De La Cruz’s as an exception. De La Cruz led Major League Baseball in the regular season with 67 stolen bases.

A few years ago, House’s coaching would accidently thwart the Reds scoring efforts. By sending runners to head for home prematurely. That wasn’t a major issue for the Reds in 2024. Meanwhile, Benavides was tasked with stepping in for then-manager David Bell many times. After all, Bell set the franchise record for managerial ejections. Benavides was Cincinnati’s interim manager for the last five games of the season after Bell was fired. While he went 1-4 in those final games, having some continuity might be important to Francona.

The decision to fire the Reds hitting coaches makes sense. Given the Reds struggles with consistent hitting in 2024. While many teams struggled hitting-wise earlier this year. The Reds were inconsistent at the plate. Going through one game where they would pile up runs like a doomsday prepper collects canned goods. Then they might get shutout the next day.

This week’s moves prompt the question about who the Reds will hire to be their hitting coaches. Perhaps Francona will add coaches that were with him while he managed the Cleveland Guardians. Which would be an intriguing approach, given Cleveland’s ongoing postseason run. Cleveland’s hitting coach Chris Valaika, assistant Dan Puente and hitting analyst Josh Tubbs are names to note. Victor Rodriguez was also Cleveland’s assistant hitting coach for six years. Rodriguez is in his first year as the San Diego Padres’ hitting coach.

Perhaps the Reds will promote coaches from the Reds minor league system. Given the focus the Reds recently put into their farm system. There are some promising options there for the Reds to consider. Particularly coaches with the double-a Chattanooga Lookouts. Chattanooga hitting coach Daryle Ward is a potential candidate to keep in mind.

The Reds have decided to keep pitching coach Derek Johnson. There were two major issues for the Reds pitching staff in 2024. Injuries and an offense that would go cold. During games where the Reds starting pitcher would have a solid performance. Hunter Greene would have more career wins if the offense delivered for him.

While Francona and the Reds face questions about their coaching staff. The team faces questions about how their roster will look going into next season. Injuries disrupted the team’s hopes for 2024. How players recover from those injuries will affect the Reds in 2025. The front office faces questions about whether they will make any offseason moves. Either through trades or utilizing free agency. The Reds face all of this as the offseason hot stove heats up.