Replacing David Bell with the recently fired Joe Girardi is not the answer for the Reds

Joe Girardi was fired today by the Philadelphia Phillies after his team got off to a 22-29 start. Girardi was replaced by bench coach Rob Thomson. I know what you're thinking, Red fans, but it's not a good idea.

Girardi was a popular name in Reds Country when Cincinnati conducted their managerial search back in 2018. Ultimately, Girardi removed himself from consideration after reportedly being the Reds top pick to replace Jim Riggleman. The Cincinnati Reds settled on David Bell as the team's new manager.

Girardi did not manage a team in 2019 and was eventually hired to be the Philadelphia Phillies skipper prior to the 2020 season. After guiding the New York Yankees for 10 years and winning a World Series in 2009, most thought Girardi would have success in the City of Brotherly Love. That didn't happen.

Firing David Bell and replacing him with Joe Girardi is not the answer for the Reds.

There is a chance that the Cincinnati Reds will fire David Bell at the end of the 2022 season. But if that does occur, the Reds should steer clear of hiring Joe Girardi to be their next manager. Girardi has already shown an inability to get the job with a good roster, so why would you think he'd have success in Cincinnati?

I know there's a contingent of Reds fans who do not like David Bell. Criticism of the Cincinnati Reds skipper is fair, and sometimes warranted. But Bell is not the reason the Reds have failed to have success on the field.

We all know how the 2020 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Major League Baseball season was cut from 162 to 60 games, there was an eight-team playoff, and the Cincinnati Reds bowed out in Round 1 without scoring a run.

The Reds went all-in during the 2020 season, but due to circumstances beyond their control, the team floundered early on and never regained their traction. Two of the team's best relievers were removed from the roster during the offseason and the Reds lost their ace.

Still, with a patchwork bullpen, the Cincinnati Reds were in the playoff hunt last season. Jesse Winker's season-ending injury and the St. Louis Cardinals' 17-game winning streak helped keep Cincinnati out of the playoff picture.

This season, the Reds got off to a horrendous 3-22 start, but appear to be moving in the right direction despite the subtraction of Winker, Eugenio Suárez, Wade Miley, Tucker Barnhart, Nick Castellanos, Amir Garrett, and Sonny Gray.

Joe Girardi's tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies yielded a .484 winning percentage with the likes of Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Zack Wheeler. Believe it or not, even after the Reds horrific start, David Bell has a .477 winning percentage in his three-plus years in Cincinnati.

I'm not suggesting that David Bell is a better manager than Joe Girardi. What I am suggesting is that the manager isn't going to make that much difference if the front office and ownership don't fill the roster with better players.