The Reds are proving David Bell was never the real problem

The Cincinnati Reds fired David Bell in September 2024 after four consecutive seasons without playoff appearances, then hired Hall of Famer Terry Francona to manage the team. Despite Francona's arrival, the Reds have performed worse than expected, currently sitting 12 games below .500 and 26 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The article argues that the managerial changes have revealed the real problem lies with president of baseball operations Nick Krall and ownership, as both Bell and Francona have produced similarly poor records with comparable rosters, suggesting the issue stems from roster construction rather than management.

Summary written by MLB Feed Network based on the original reporting. How we write summaries