Massive hire by NL Central rival adds more pressure to Craig Counsell with the Cubs

After the Chicago Cubs disrupted the Major League Baseball managerial landscape last offseason with the hire of Craig Counsell, the Cincinnati Reds had an equally shocking managerial hire on Thursday night. During the final week of the regular season, the Reds made the decision to fire manager David Bell. Bell's firing came while the Reds were set to the finish the 2024 season in fourth-place in the National League Central division. Given that the Reds did not shy away from spending last offseason along with most of their top prospects reaching the Major League level, a fourth-place finish was unsettling for the Reds' front office.