Cincinnati Reds Fire Manager After 865 Games With Team

The Cincinnati Reds have fired manager David Bell after a disappointing 2024 season, despite extending his contract through 2026 just over a year ago.

Bench coach Freddie Benavides will take over as interim manager for the final five games of the season, as the Reds finish against Cleveland and Chicago.

Bell, who led the team for six seasons, departs with a 409-456 record and just one postseason appearance in the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall announced the decision, citing the team's need to "move the Major League team forward" after another year of unmet expectations.

Reds management was so in love with David Bell's job performance last summer that they gave him a three year contract extension.

14 months later the manager is so bad at his job that they'll pay him for two years to not work.

That reflects poorly. But not on David Bell.
— Mo Egger (@MoEgger) September 23, 2024

The Reds entered 2024 with high hopes following an 82-80 finish in 2023, but injuries to key players like Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Nick Lodolo, as well as inconsistent play, derailed their season.

Despite individual standout performances from young stars like Hunter Greene and Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati struggled with defensive mistakes and led the league in outs on the bases.

A collapse in late August, when the team lost 12 of 16 games, sealed their fate, and they finished 76-81, missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.

Krall pointed to the Reds' league-worst 15-27 record in one-run games as a key factor in their struggles, noting that Bell provided "steadiness" but that a change was necessary to address the team's shortcomings.