Brad Mills, who served as the Red Sox’ bench coach under Francona for six seasons, is expected to join his staff with the Indians, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Mills, who was fired as Astros manager in August, also served as Francona’s first base coach for four years in Philadelphia (1997-2000) and was a teammate of his at the University of Arizona and with the Montreal Expos. Mills is considered one of Francona’s best friends in the game, so the idea of the two coming together in Cleveland isn’t a surprising one.
Indians general manager Chris Antonetti reportedly confirmed that Mills is a coaching candidate, and said that interviews with candidates will continue this week.
“Brad Mills has a lot of experience on a major league coaching staff,” Antonetti reportedly said. “He could potentially fill a variety of rolls and he has a familiarity with Terry.”
Mills said Tuesday on MLB Network Radio that he expects to sign with a team this week.