No talks yet between Reds, Bell on contract extension

BALTIMORE – The Reds came into Monday in first place in the National League Central division race and contending ahead of schedule during what was supposed to be another rebuilding year.

It's all been happening during a contract year for manager David Bell.

Bell, 50, is in the final season of a two-year contract extension he signed on Sept. 22, 2021. For the time being, at least, there has been no conversations about another extension.

“I think we’ll just talk about playing through the year and addressing it later," Reds general manager Nick Krall told MLB.com on Monday. “At this point, we haven’t done anything.”

Entering 2023, the Reds had a 251-295 record under Bell after he was initially hired on Oct. 22, 2018. That included a 31-29 record and playoff berth in the pandemic-abbreviated 2020 season, when the club was eliminated in the first round by the Braves.

In 2021, Cincinnati went 83-79 but missed the postseason. In the offseason and 2022 season that followed, ownership initiated a cost-cutting roster purge to open a rebuilding era with young talent.

The Reds, which traded most of their veterans in Spring Training and at the Trade Deadline, plummeted to a 62-100 record in '22.

Although the club opened with a 7-15 record and were 8 1/2 games out of first place, the Reds' 41-37 record entering Monday is the best in the NL Central. That included a 12-game winning streak that was snapped by Atlanta on Saturday. The Braves snapped Cincinnati's five series win streak after the Reds lost on Sunday.

Any decision about Bell's future isn't Krall's alone to make. Ownership, including CEO Bob Castellini, would likely have significant influence on the decision.

The Reds' youth movement has already produced players like Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott this year and they've joined other young players like Jonathan India, Spencer Steer and Alexis Díaz to create a winning environment. The team, including veterans like Joey Votto, have an obvious chemistry on and off the field.

Bell was credited by Krall for his part in cultivating that environment.

“He’s done a great job," Krall said. "I think he’s done really well with the clubhouse culture and with what we’ve done, it’s been really good.”