David Bell’s time in Cincinnati has come to an end.
The Reds officially fired their longtime manager after six seasons on Sunday night, shortly after the team’s 2-0 loss to the PIttsburgh Pirates. The Reds have just five games left in the 2024 season, and they are set to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year and fifth time in Bell’s six seasons with the team.
“David provided the kind of steadiness that we needed in our clubhouse over the last few seasons,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said in a statement. “We felt a change was needed to move the Major League team forward. We have not achieved the success we expected.”
Bell was first hired in 2019, and he led the team to its only postseason berth in the past 11 seasons in 2020 — though they were knocked out in the wild card round in the shortened COVID-19 campaign. Bell finished with a 409-455 overall record in his six seasons with the team, which marked his first job in Major League Baseball as a manager. Bell was under contract with the team through the 2026 season.
The Reds currently hold a 76-81 record heading into Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. They sit in fourth in the NL Central. Bench coach Freddie Benavides will lead the Reds in their final five games of the 2024 season.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
