The Reds and manager David Bell have agreed on a contract extension that runs through the end of the 2023 season, Bell himself told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). Bell anticipates his entire coaching staff will return next season as well.
Bell has led the Cincinnati dugout for the past three seasons, with the team posting a cumulative 184-190 record (.492 winning percentage). Before landing his first managerial gig, he’d worked in a few different capacities, serving on Mike Matheny’s coaching staff with the Cardinals for five years before spending a season as the Giants’ vice president of player development.
The Reds hired Bell in October 2018, signing him to a three-year guarantee. That deal contained a club option for the 2022 season. Rather than exercise the option and potentially enter next season with Bell in a lame duck capacity, Cincinnati struck early to guarantee Bell’s position for another two years. It’s not clear whether his new deal also contains options beyond 2023.
At the time of Bell’s initial hiring, the Reds were still amidst a multi-year rebuild. They’d posted below-average records in each of the five prior seasons, finishing last in the NL Central every year from 2015-18. The club dismissed skipper Bryan Price early in 2018, with Jim Riggleman taking the reigns on an interim capacity for the remainder of the year.
The team made some progress in Bell’s first year at the helm. After winning between 64 and 68 games in each of the prior four seasons, the Reds went 75-87 in 2019, surpassing the Pirates to get out of the basement of the division. They flipped the switch completely into win-now mode late in the year, acquiring Trevor Bauer at the trade deadline with an eye towards 2020 and pushing payroll to a franchise-record height that winter. The front office signed Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos to matching $64MM guarantees and also added Shogo Akiyama and Wade Miley on multi-year deals.
The organization clearly envisioned 2020 as the opening of a new competitive window. Obviously, the pandemic-necessitated shortened season threw a wrench in those plans, but the Reds did at least finish 31-29 last year to earn a spot in the expanded playoff. That snapped a six-year postseason drought, but Cincinnati was quickly dispatched by the Braves in the Wild Card round. The club then had a relatively inactive offseason, entering this year with a significant question mark at shortstop and some concerns about the relief corps.
Those issues impacted the club’s early-season play, particularly as Eugenio Suárez struggled badly in an attempt to move from third base to shortstop. Cincinnati hovered right around .500 through the season’s first half before catching fire coming out of the All-Star Break. Not too long ago, they looked as likely as anyone to claim the NL’s second Wild Card spot, but the club has stumbled to a 7-12 record in September. Coupled with the Cardinals’ recent surge, Cincinnati now sits four games back of St. Louis for the final playoff spot. According to FanGraphs, their postseason odds are down to 5.9%.
Missing the playoffs would certainly be a disappointing outcome for a Cincinnati club that expected to contend this season. GM Nick Krall and the front office nevertheless believe in Bell’s ability to lead the club back to the playoffs over the coming years. Despite their up-and-down play this season, the Reds have seen homegrown, controllable players like Jesse Winker, Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson emerge as above-average regulars during Bell’s tenure. That trio will work with the resurgent Joey Votto and a talented pitching staff led by Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle to form what the club hopes to be a competitive core in 2022 and beyond.
By then he should be approaching the record for career ejections. It seems like he gets kicked out of about 10% of the games he starts.
Just 147 to go to pass Bobby Cox
Reds would be better off with a new manager than extending this guy. Hes better than Luis Rojas, but almost any human being is better than him so that isn’t saying much
I don’t understand why Met fans always look for scapegoats for their mediocrity. From Collins, all the way to Rojas they will take the blame. The Mets are just bad. Nothing to do with injuries or managers. They need a reset.
They got a reset when Cohen took over. Still same old Mets.
It is the same old Mets because the foundation of the team was from the previous regime. Cohen is what makes the Mets dangerous and he will be the one to get them over their struggles unless the Phils have something to say about it. The Braves will not hold down for much longer given their ownership and passiveness.
We know thats you NoMadBumNLCS geeze just go be a Mets fan since they’re gonna be so “dangerous”
For a team that’s supposedly terrible, you sure seem to bring them up completely unprompted.
Why , I haven’t Sean bell pitch or hit , not his fault this team has no pitching, and a bunch of bench players that will never start or play blame the front office for not signing top players, and your losing castillano and votto is not going anther year like this one
I was kinda feeling like the people of Cincinnati would have a Joey Votto Attitude about this extension? Especially after the deflating mediocre finish to 2021 where they were flirting with a wild card spot and played pretty dreadfully in September? Oh wait, Gabe Kapler lost his job in Philly after seasons just like this and look how he’s doing the Giants…. nevermind.
I can’t figure the Reds out. Maybe it’s just the uniform. I think if you swapped the Dodgers and Reds rosters Cincy would still somehow finish in 3rd or 4th place.
I’m dumb founded with this current collapse that the Reds add 2 years. Crazy to me. I was really hoping Larkin would be at the helm next year.
sole silver lining of this debacle is that Bell stated ” anticipates entire coaching staff will return next season”. If that means DJ, then that’s good.
I’m not convinced Larkin would be a better manager.
I think the real problem is the Reds have three 3B, got rid of their bullpen during the off season, and overpaid for Moose and Akiyama who weren’t needed.
Have you heard him in the broadcast both. He would be horrible.
Super horrible, prehistoric sounding, anti analytics. No on Larkin!
They needed a real short stop and yes they over paid on Moose after he had a career year with the Brewers and Royals. His whole career reads like Eric Hosmers. Akiyama has done nothing for the Reds either. They have talent, just don’t have any way of filling in the voids where they lack due to budget restrictions or lack of players avaliable?
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
The Reds are steeped in mediocrity for the next 2 years now. This is such a travesty for long time Reds fans. This is a giant middle finger from the front office to the Reds fans.
That’s the Reds incompetent front office for you. One step up, two steps back right into a hot steaming cow pie.
As long as Buddy Bell is in the baseball ops department we’re stuck with him.
I agree with you 100%. What manager in his right mind would send a guy to pinch hit with 2 outs and bases loaded and one run behind…a guy who is 0-19? Sometimes I think he wants to lose. When you’re in a wildcard race and need to win, you put the best possible lineup on the field every game…resting Votto last Sunday against the Dodgers? That’s almost like raising a white flag! We are doomed to see mediocre decisions the next 2 years.
I remember that game. Overall I think Bell has been fine but yes he should have been fired for that move alone.
It seems like the Reds should be better than are.
Like every year.
So much mediocrity and as a Reds fan it drives me nuts. Bell probably won’t be going anywhere until his Daddy gets out of the front office.
I wonder if the Reds extended Bell because he took a pay cut on the extension. Wish manager contracts were announced similar to the players. Just so I can possibly have another reason to think Bob Castellini is a total dbag.
Not Surprised Bell is back but I think both the pitching coach and hitting coach are toast. Reds need to find a way of trading akiyama and Mousakes even if it’s a bad salary swap. Hoffman, Garrett and probably Miley are gone from the pitching staff. Time for Greene and Lodobo to be in the rotation Dump most of the bench players including aquino and deshields.
Lmao
So, part ways with the guy who revitalized the organization’s pitching, but continue on with the guy who can’t manage and has repeatedly been unable to get this team where it should be.
Ok. Castellini continues to be more inept than one could believe is possible.
Willing to bet this team will be sold soon.
Good for Bell. He has kept the Reds in contention even after a poor start.
Bell is a terrible manager and will keep the Reds mediocre for the entirety of his contract. It’s not all his fault b/c the ownership is cheap and left him a crap bullpen most of the year but he’s a soft “players manager” that doesn’t inspire the team to perform, especially when they inevitably hit multiple long losing droughts every year. Is SF’s talent that much better than the Reds? I would submit no and think management plays at least some factor.
This is not directed at Reds fans. Its directed to all of us fans on MLBTR. It seems like very few of us are satisfied with our Manager, GM and/or Owner. As a general rule, we believe they are incompetent hacks. For me, its Angels owner, Arte Moreno.
Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me?
We love them when they win. We hate them when they lose. And we second guess everything they do in-between. Its a passion and its also better than being complacent. You cannot realistically love every move your team makes but for long suffering fans of losing teams or badly run teams (looking at you Pirates fans) it is possible to hate everything the team does. That’s the joy of being a fan
Must be his reward for not losing to the Pirates today. Unfortunately no one told ownership that the game was rained out.
Seems DJ will stay too…
He has alienated a few Reds pitchers with is “unique” drills. Yet hasn’t seemed to have truly “fixed” any. The Reds sure must lead MLB in pitcher DFAs this season…
who has he alienated? news to me. DJ will be great for the development of Lodolo and Green
The frustration with the Reds is substantiated. But I really don’t think that falls on Bell. I don’t think he’s a great manager, but he’s not the reason they struggle. This has happened long before Bell. The ownership needs to assemble a roster that can compete. Stop making BAD investments and stop selling low on people. Give up sooner on those who need it. Aquino needs to go. Garrett needs to go. Invest in some arms.
They let Bauer go which was fine, but they didn’t reinvest that payroll anywhere. You have to cut costs or compete. It can’t be both.
Bell is Trash