Resurgent Reds reward Bell with 3-year extension

LOS ANGELES — The Cincinnati Reds, riding the momentum of a surprisingly exhilarating season, agreed to a three-year extension with manager David Bell on Friday, keeping him at his position through the 2026 season.

Bell, 50, is midway through his fifth year in Cincinnati and the last on his previous contract. The Reds lost 100 games last year but have experienced a dramatic turnaround on the back of an exciting young nucleus, sitting at 57-48 while a half-game out of first place in the National League Central. If they can fend off the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs, they’d become the first team in major league history to go from triple-digit losses to a division title from one season to the next.

“I absolutely love our players,” Bell said before the Reds’ 6-5 win Friday night in the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Love our team, love the direction we’re headed in, and I really feel strongly about where we’re headed. A lot of wins ahead, a lot of success ahead, and I’m truly, truly honored to be able to do this, a job that I love, in the city of Cincinnati.”

Bell, the son of longtime third baseman and former Reds executive Buddy Bell, was born and raised in Cincinnati, helping to lead Archbishop Moeller High School to the baseball state championship in 1989 and getting drafted in the seventh round the following year. A 12-year major league career was followed by a four-year stint managing in the Reds’ minor league system, which Bell parlayed into coaching stints with the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals from 2013 to 2017.

The Reds re-hired Bell as their manager in October of 2018, following a one-year stint in player development with the San Francisco Giants. Bell then led the Reds to the playoffs during the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020 and an 83-win season in 2021 before struggling with a rebuilding team the following summer.

The Reds are now outfitted with an array of dazzling young players, led by hard-throwing starting pitcher Hunter Greene and dazzling young shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The likes of Will Benson, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Andrew Abbott have also matriculated to the big leagues and thrived this season.

“I’m excited about where we are, I’m excited about where we’re going,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “Are we there yet? No. We still have work to do. But at the same time, it’s been a lot of fun to watch these players grow, these coaches grow, and our team, organization, get better, and it’s from the minor leagues all the way to the big leagues.”