The Cincinnati Reds and manager David Bell have agreed to a three-year contract extension that run through the 2026 season, the club announced Friday. The good news for the manager comes amid a surprise surge into contention for the Reds here in 2023.
The expectation heading into the season was that the Reds would be either a fourth- or fifth-place team in the National League Central. The pre-season gambling total (a.k.a. "over/under") was around 66 wins. Heading into Friday, the Reds are 56-48 and sitting in possession of the third NL wild-card spot while also being just 1 1/2 games out in the Central.
The Reds started slow, sitting at 7-15 at one point. They played .500 ball for roughly the next month to hit 21-29 heading into Memorial Day weekend. They won five in a row before a four-game losing streak, then won three straight before losing a pair of game. Then they won 12 games in a row and they've been strong ever since.
Bell actually survived a miserable 2022 season. The Reds started an MLB-worst 3-22 before ending up losing exactly 100 games. That the Reds have turned the corner this season under Bell is a testament to avoiding the blame game -- firing the manager -- with such a dreadful start to a season.
Bell has been the Reds manager since taking over before the 2019 season. The son of Buddy Bell and grandson of Gus Bell, the third-generation MLBer went to high school in Cincinnati when his father was the Reds' third baseman in the late '80s.
