Cincinnati Reds managerial search: Due diligence or still looking for right fit

The Cincinnati Reds added yet another candidate to their managerial search. Are they just doing their due diligence or still looking for the right fit?

The Cincinnati Reds added Pirates’ bench coach Tom Prince to their ever-growing list of candidates to replace Bryan Price, who was fired in April after a 3-15 start to the 2018 season. Is the Reds’ front office just doing their due diligence, or are they still searching for the right fit?

The Reds search to fill their vacant managerial position has seen a lot of potential suitors. It started with internal candidates Pat Kelly, Freddie Benavides, and Billy Hatcher. Interim manager Jim Riggleman and Reds’ scout John Farrell were also given interviews with the club.

Cincinnati followed that up with a round of interviews with former Yankees skipper Joe Girardi, former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, and David Bell who is currently the director of player personnel for the San Francisco Giants.

The Cincinnati Reds are also slated to sit down with Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Charlie Montoyo and Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens. Current ESPN analyst, Eduardo Perez is also said to have had some communication about the vacancy.

By my count, that’s 11, possibly 12, potential candidates for the vacant job in the Reds dugout. It begs the question, have the Reds found their guy and are just doing their due diligence or are they still searching for the right guy to lead this team?

For my money, I think the Cincinnati Reds have already narrowed their choice to maybe one or two individuals. If you follow Twitter or listen to the rumor mill, it sounds as though Farrell and Bell have the inside track.

It is interesting though that the Reds have recently opened their search up to several bench coaches currently serving on Major Leauge teams. President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams and GM Nick Krall are known to be looking for a manager who buys into the new wave of baseball analytics.

I suspect, at the end of this week, the Reds will wrap up all their initial interviews and narrow their list to the few gentlemen that they’d like to have further discussions with. Whether Cincinnati is serious about any or all of the candidates they’ve currently talked with, it’s good to see the club thinking outside the box.

The Cincinnati Reds have long been a franchise that passes the torch to another person within the organization. It was probably very tempting for the Reds to name Jim Riggleman as the permanent manager at several junctures throughout the season. The fact they didn’t should give Reds fans hope that the franchise is going to make some serious changes this offseason.