Reds Fire Manager David Bell After Six Seasons

Karl Rasmussen | Sep 22, 2024

Bell reacts after a play in the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds are parting ways with David Bell just a few days before the end of the 2024 MLB season, the team announced Sunday.

Bell had been the Reds manager for six seasons but only managed to make the postseason once, during the shortened 2020 campaign. Cincinnati was eliminated from postseason contention following their 7–1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

Bell received a three-year contract extension in July 2023 and was expected to be under contract through the 2026 season. Just over a year after that extension was signed, the organization opted to move on.

The Reds (76–81) have five games remaining in the season, which interim manager Freddie Benavides is set to oversee. Cincinnati takes on the Guardians in a two-game set on Tuesday and Wednesday before finishing the year at Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the rival Chicago Cubs.

After nearly six full seasons, Bell ends his Reds managerial tenure with a record of 409–455 and 0–2 in the postseason.

Benavides, 58, played briefly in the MLB from 1991 to '94, including two years with the Reds. He previously served as the interim manager for one game during the 2019 season when Bell was suspended, and now he's set to return to that role to see out the remainder of the '24 campaign.

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