Terry Francona will reportedly sit down with members of the Boston Red Sox front office on Friday, with the two sides expected to part ways. The Red Sox hold two option years on Francona's contract -- 2012 and 2013 -- and could simply choose not to exercise them.
According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, Friday might mark the end of Francona's time at the helm of the Red Sox.
Terry Francona will meet with Red Sox management on Friday morning, and the expected resolution is that he no longer will be the team’s manager, major league sources say.
While Francona’s departure is not certain, it is the likely outcome, in part because he is pressing for a resolution, sources say. He would not be fired; the Red Sox would simply decline their club options on him for 2012 and ’13.
The Red Sox went from a sure-fire playoff team to missing the postseason with a historic September meltdown. Francona's team blew a huge Wild Card lead over Tampa Bay before its season ended Thursday night in dramatic fashion.
Francona and general manager Theo Epstein held a join press conference on Thursday, with both sides expressing regret over the late-season collapse. However, Epstein refused to pin the blame on Francona, saying "No one blames what happened in September on Tito."
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