Reds extend manager David Bell through 2026

LOS ANGELES –– Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell entered the 2023 season in a contract year with a young and unproven team. The Reds were coming off a 100-loss season, and the front office didn’t have much financial flexibility to add to the team. Most of the Reds’ top prospects finished 2022 in Double-A.

The Reds were playing out a long-term vision for success, but Bell’s role was to speed up the rebuild. On Friday night, with the Reds in the playoff race, Bell earned a three-year contract extension that secures his future through 2026.

Bell, 50, entered the season with as much uncertainty as anyone in the organization, and he earned a contract extension with the Reds’ expectation-shattering first four months of the season.

“We’ve all been in that situation before and (have it) not be ideal,” Bell said. “At the same time, it’s easy in a way to focus every day on this job. It’s the best. To be able to just dedicate, at least a big part of your life, to something we all care about so much, I figured it would work out the way it’s supposed to.

Reds pitchers Here's when Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo could return to Cincinnati Reds

Reds trade deadline How Cincinnati Reds fans making difference in Nick Krall’s efforts to trade for pitching

“Our staff and players have worked really hard to push this forward and start our process of winning as early as we did. We have to keep going with that. We have to keep focusing every day on getting better. There’s a lot of reasons I’m sitting here today.”

Since the Reds hired Bell heading into the 2019 season, he has led the Reds through a lot of ups and a lot of downs. The Reds built up a contender for the 2020 season, making the playoffs. Then in 2022, the Reds had a complete tear down and started a rebuild.

The 2023 Reds have exceeded expectations with a dynamic lineup that’s filled with some of the best rookies in baseball. They’ve embraced Bell’s message to play aggressively and become the best base running team in the league.

Every young position player on the Reds has exceeded expectations. Bell and the Reds’ coaching staff have played a clear role in that development.

“We came in (to the year), and it was about growing,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “We’ve done that. We’ve created a culture around the big league clubhouse, integrated a lot of young players into our big league team and continued to grow. Players get better, coaches get better, it’s been a lot of fun to watch.”

During spring training, Bell said that he planned to have more fun this year. Veteran Reds catcher Curt Casali credited Bell for “finding his voice,” becoming an even better leader and putting more weight behind his words.

Bell developed a better idea of what to prioritize. He changed the way he structured spring training, shifting to more intense morning workouts. He also built team building into the spring training schedule, and a young team that had barely played together started to gel.

“David took it as a challenge to make sure he was going to create the best culture he could heading into the season,” Krall said. “This is something we sat down and talked about. He had plans for the offseason, working through spring training. One thing led to another. It’s really taken off.”

The 2023 Reds are trying to become the first team in Major League history to win a division championship after losing at least 100 games the season before. Last year, the 100-loss Reds team was a downtrodden group of veterans who were looking to extend their big league careers. This year, the Reds have a rising group of young stars and leaders like Jonathan India, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl and Tyler Stephenson.

The Reds have one of the best cores of young talent in MLB, and the plan is for that group to become a World Series contender down the road. With Bell’s new contract extension, they showed confidence that Bell is the manager who can take the Reds there.

“My focus is looking forward to coming to the ballpark, being around our players and this team and what we’re trying to accomplish on a daily basis,” Bell said. “Now I get to only focus on that. That’s what this job is all about and why I love it so much, especially with a team like this that’s so much fun to be around. It’s just motivating to keep going and work as hard as you possibly can, give everything you to every one of our players because they deserve it.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds extend manager David Bell through 2026