Ken Rosenthal reports that the Indians hired Terry Francona as their new manager.

Francona, who led the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, will replace Manny Acta. Cleveland finished this 68-94, fourth in the AL Central.

Francona, 53, already worked as a special assistant for the Indians in 2001.

Good for Terry and the Indians. He’s an intelligent manager who goes out of his way to protect his players, and until the 2011 Red Sox debacle, his players appeared to respond to that. I’m not surprised the decision came quickly, Terry should have been on the short list for any team looking to hire.