Indians make "preliminary contact" with Terry Francona

It has been fewer than twenty-four hours since the Cleveland Indians let go of manager Manny Acta, and already the front office has begun making calls to find his replacement. Several sources indicate that the Indians made "preliminary contact" with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

Terry Francona is a candidate for the Cleveland Indians’ managerial opening, according to major-league sources.

Sources say that Francona, 53, already has had preliminary contact with the Indians, the team for whom he worked as a special assistant in 2001.

Francona is currently as an TV analyst at ESPN and it is unclear whether he would leave the job to return to managing. Rosenthal suggests that the Indians might not be able to offer Francona the salary necessary for him to give up his television gig and return to the managing hot seat.

Francona does have some ties to the Indians organization. He worked as a special assistant to now club president Mark Shapiro in 2001 between his managing jobs with the Phillies and Red Sox.

The Indians fired third-year manager Manny Acta Thursday afternoon with just six games remaining in what has been a disappointing 2012 season for the Tribe. Former catcher and current bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. has taken over as interim manager for the final week of the season.