The Cincinnati Reds announced big news on Sunday night.
The NL Central squad announced that it has fired manager David Bell. The team has named Freddie Benavides their interim manager for the final five games of the season.
#Reds fire David Bell pic.twitter.com/VO390Gznct
— LanceMcAlister (@LanceMcAlister) September 23, 2024
The news is surprising considering the team had given Bell a three-year contract extension last offseason, which ran through 2026. It doesn’t make a lot of sense on the surface to think highly enough of someone to sign them to an extension and then change your mind and fire them a year later. But one likely explanation for the move is that the team’s leadership must have felt the squad underachieved this year.
The Reds appeared to be on the right track when they went 82-80 last season, a year after going 62-100. There was excitement surrounding the team thanks to prospects like Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene. But the team has slipped in 2024 and was a disappointing 76-81 at the time of Bell’s firing.
