The Reds have announced that they have parted ways with manager David Bell, with manager Freddie Benavides set to act as the club’s interim manager for the remainder of the season.
In a statement to the media, President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said: “David provided the stability we needed in our clubhouse over the last few seasons. We felt a change was needed to move the Major League team forward. We have not achieved the success we expected and need to focus on 2025..”
Bell’s tenure ends just shy of six full seasons as Cincinnati’s manager. Three of Bell’s six seasons saw the Reds finish with a winning record – their 31-29 record in the shortened 2020 season that resulted in a playoff berth, an 83-win season in 2021 and the 82-win season in 2023. This last season seemed to hint at bigger things to come for the Reds, as the team seemingly had a surplus of young talent at the positions all taking off at the same time. The organization even rewarded Bell for his role in the Reds’ progress, as Bell signed a new contract extension in July 2023 that covered the 2024-26 seasons.
However, it should not be overlooked that Bell was still stuck in a lame-duck contract situation two months after his previous deal expired. This may have been the first indication that the Reds’ owners and management were only willing to give Bell limited leeway to continue as the club’s captain, and the disappointing 2024 season sealed Bell’s fate.
The announcement of Noelvi Marte’s 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in early March was the first sign of trouble for the Reds, and the bad news continued during spring training when Matt McLain had shoulder surgery. McLain missed the entire season recovering from that surgery, and during his rehab work he suffered a stress reaction in his chest. Christian Encarnacion-Strand did not play after the first week of May due to a wrist injury that required surgery, marking a lost year for another of the Reds’ promising young infielders.
Injuries also decimated the roster at other inopportune times, including a near-universal injury spree that hit the pitching staff in August. Aside from the injuries, other potential cornerstones like Spencer Steer and Alexis Diaz performed only averagely, and offseason additions like Jeimer Candelario and Frankie Montas also disappointed.
All in all, it’s been a disappointing season in Cincinnati and while Bell is far from the only culprit for the Reds’ failure, the organization will now be creating turmoil in the team’s bench. Bob Nightengale of USA Today (X-Link) has previously reported that Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is being considered as the Reds’ next general manager, and Schumaker has ties to the club as a former Reds player during the 2014-15 season. Schumaker won NL Manager of the Year honors when he led Miami to the playoffs in 2023 in his first year as captain, but the Marlins’ decision to part ways with GM Kim Ng (who hired Schumaker) and then enter rebuild mode has all but confirmed that Schumaker will leave South Florida at the end of the season.
More to follow …
