Reds name David Bell as new manager with three-year contract

Staff writer

Sun, Oct 21, 2018, 5:59 PM

The Cincinnati Reds are the first team of the offseason to end their managerial search. The team announced on Sunday morning that Cincinnati native David Bell would be the Reds’ new manager, and will be officially announced at a press conference on Monday morning.

David Bell has been named the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He will be introduced at a press conference on Monday at 11:00 a.m. pic.twitter.com/BdIlLCGKMG
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) October 21, 2018

The Reds signed Bell to a three-year contract, which takes him through 2021. There’s also a club option for 2022. Bell is replacing Bryan Price, who was fired in April after a 3-15 start. Jim Riggleman, who started the 2018 season as the Reds’ bench coach, then became the interim manager. He led the team to an overall 67-95 record, and was reportedly in the running for the permanent position until just a few days ago. The Reds also interviewed former Detroit Tigers manger Brad Ausmus and former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

Cincinnati native David Bell will be the Reds’ new manager. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Bell, 46, has spent over 20 years in baseball as a player, minor league manager, and major league coach. He debuted as a player in 1995, and played 12 seasons in the majors as a second and third baseman for six different teams. He retired in 2006, and in October 2008 the Reds hired him to manage their Double-A affiliate. He spent the next four seasons managing in the minors, until the Cubs named him third base coach for the 2013 season. After four years as a coach with St. Louis Cardinals, he spent the 2018 season as the vice president for player development for the San Francisco Giants.

Bell is part of a multi-generational baseball family. He’s the son of current Reds executive Buddy Bell, who also played and managed in the majors, and the grandson of Gus Bell, outfielder and member of the Reds Hall of Fame. With David becoming a major league manager, he and his father will be the fourth father-son duo in MLB history to serve as managers.

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