Joe Girardi Exits Reds’ Managerial Search, David Bell Now Favorite
Joe Girardi had been the favorite from among three finalists for the Reds’ managerial job, but he has pulled his name from the search. That comes via Ken Rosenthal, who tweeted that David Bell now has the inside track over Brad Ausmus, the final reported candidate.
Joe Girardi was #Reds’ top choice for manager, but has withdrawn himself from consideration for position, sources tell The Athletic. Will remain with @MLBNetwork for now. Still wants to manage again.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 19, 2018
With Girardi out, David Bell would appear to be favorite for #Reds’ managerial position. Bell also drawing interest from other clubs, however.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 19, 2018
Bell, a Cincinnati native, makes a lot of sense for the Reds and has also been drawing interest from other clubs. He spent four years managing the Reds’ AA and AAA affiliates, then served as the Cubs’ third base coach in 2012 before moving to the Cardinals as an assistant hitting instructor in 2013. He then spent two seasons as Mike Matheny’s bench coach, leaving after the 2017 season to become the Giants’ VP of player development.
That last bit should be of particular interest to Cubs fans, perhaps even more so than Bell potentially leading a Reds team that has more talent than recent records indicate. As we noted in an earlier post about managerial candidates, the Giants losing their farm director could mean they’ll have additional impetus to replace their president and/or GM with a candidate who has developmental expertise.
Which leads us to the Cubs’ Jason McLeod, who interviewed with the Giants last week about their vacant front ofice positions. Losing McLeod while also having a talented baseball mind join a division rival isn’t exactly an ideal situation for the Cubs, though it’s not as if the fortunes of the two teams will suddenly reverse. And who knows, maybe Bell will be the second coming of Bryan Price.
It’s also entirely possible that Bell ends up elsewhere despite his Cincy ties, with a promotion to a bigger role in the Giants organization not out of the question. The whole McLeod angle is still alive regardless, so that’s something to keep an eye on.
