Cincinnati Reds: Joe Girardi out, David Bell likely on deck

Joe Girardi has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Cincinnati Reds managerial opening. That clears the way for David Bell to take the job.

Joe Girardi, the former manager of the New York Yankees and Florida Marlins, has apparently withdrawn his name from consideration to be the next manager of the Cincinnati Reds. This, most likely, puts David Bell firmly in the lead to claim the opening if he wants it.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Girardi was the Reds top choice to replace former manager Bryan Price as the club’s new skipper. Girardi withdrew from consideration, and for now, will return to his job with MLB Network. However, Rosenthal reports that Girardi would still like to manage again.

Now, many of those critical of the Cincinnati Reds ownership and management will have their opinions and reasons as to why Girardi is no longer a candidate. Many people will point to money being a factor, but I highly doubt that the Reds were unwilling to pay the asking price for Girardi. Cincinnati had to know full well that Girardi was not going to come cheap.

Others will point to the Reds recent history and claim that Girardi wouldn’t want to manage a  losing organization. Again, I’m not buying that reasoning either. Girardi is no fool, and knows full well, as do all the candidates, what they would inherit as the new Reds manager.

The Reds are not a team that is just one or two players away from contention. They lost 90-plus games last year and whoever the new manager is, will have to embrace the fact that there’s no quick fix to make the Reds instant contenders. Cincinnati plays in perhaps the best division in all of baseball, so the incoming manager will no doubt encounter some challenges in order to be successful.

Whatever the reason for Girardi’s withdrawal, it may be more clear now than ever before who the Reds will most likely hire as their new manager. David Bell, one of the candidates known to be among the finalist for the job, is firmly entrenched as the most likely person to become the Reds next skipper.

Bell, like Girardi and Brad Ausmus, has interest from other teams for their managerial openings. The Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins all have yet to fill their vacancies.

Regardless of who the Cincinnati Reds are going to choose, it may behoove them to make their choice quickly. While there’s no need to make a hasty decision, you’d hate to see the Reds lose their guy to another team.