Calls Mount for Terry Francona’s Retirement as Cincinnati Demands Accountability From Reds Ownership

It hasn’t been a fortnight since the Cincinnati Reds were cruising seven games above .500. Now, however, they’ve slipped back to an even 68-68. Saturday’s (August 30, 2025) 4-2 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals at the Great American Ball Park felt even more gutting. The Reds didn’t take advantage of the New York Mets losing earlier Saturday. They could have moved back to just four games out of the third NL Wild Card.

Entering Sunday, as a result of their fifth straight loss, the Reds have dropped to 1-8 over their last nine games. “It’s tough sledding right now,” Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game. “We’ve got to fight through it.”

For the second night in a row, the Reds had the tying run on base with two outs and trailing by two runs. However, after two force-outs and a groundout, they were handed a 4-2 loss. One of the major reasons why the Reds have been struggling mightily is because Andrew Abbott hasn’t been playing well.

In his five August starts, Abbott went 0-4 with a 4.45 ERA. He’s currently at 8-5 with a 2.65 ERA over 24 starts and 139 innings this season. During Saturday’s loss, he ended up walking four Cardinals hitters. Lacking his control over pitches, Abbott allowed only two runs on three hits. “Overall, that was a terrible outing,” Abbott admitted after the game.

“No execution whatsoever. I was fighting tempo all day.” Further, he added, “We’re trying to catch a team (the Mets) that’s in front of us that lost tonight. There’s a lot riding on that and gaining a game. Just got to be better at the end of the day.” He said. However, Abbott isn’t the only reason behind the Reds’ back-to-back losses.

Most of the frustration is being directed at the Reds’ ownership, and even more so at manager Terry Francona. Fans believe that as long as the current ownership stays in place, the team won’t see any real improvement.

Reds Fans Lash Out at Terry Francona and Management

Once in control of their playoff fate, the Cincinnati Reds have stumbled back to .500, and the frustration of the Reds fans is now boiling over. Voicing their discontent, a fan noted, “Terry Francona is doing some of the dumbest coaching moves of his career this season.” His latest questionable move came during the second game of the Cardinals series. During the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing by two, the Reds had their first two batters reach base. With Will Banfield up to bat, the Reds wanted him to put down a sacrifice bunt. He bunted the pitch back to the pitcher and the Cardinals were able to get the lead runner out at third base.

With the bunt attempt, it took the Reds’ win probability from 31.2% to 19.3%. That’s why fans believe Francona’s decision was “The result of poor play ⚾️ and management.”  It eventually led to fans pushing for changes in the front office. “Someone HAS to be fired after this season.” The Reds have lost eight of their last nine games. Right now, they will look to avoid their second straight sweep on Sunday afternoon. If they’re missing the playoffs too, then the Cincinnati faithful aren’t forgiving them anytime soon. And with fans enraged over Terry Francona’s recent decision making, calls for someone to be fired after this season could be aimed at the skipper. And given his age (66) and recent health problems, after he stepped down temporarily in 2023 to focus more on his health, any firing might eventually lead to his retirement.

The Reds’ lack of urgency to win hasn’t gone unnoticed. “They’re playing fully uninspired. Without a will to compete.” The Reds’ bats have been quiet when it matters most. Despite the Mets losing earlier in the day, which opened a window for the team to gain ground in the Wild Card race, the Reds didn’t take advantage.

Some pointed out the root cause behind the Reds’ back-to-back loss: “It’s the Reds. Will never change until ownership changes.” Earlier in February, online reports ranked all 30 MLB ownership groups. And, the Reds were ranked near the bottom. Right now, there’s every reason for the Reds fanbase to be upset at the ownership!