Who will take the fall for the Cincinnati Reds miserable start to the 2022 season?

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell.
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell. | Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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Poor David Bell. I honestly feel sorry for the Cincinnati Reds manager. I know there's a contingent of the fanbase that does not like the Reds skipper, but even Bell's harshest critics must admit that the bulk of the team's woes cannot be laid at his feet.

This team has been setup to fail. There's no getting around it. The front office was given their marching orders from ownership and now Bell has what amounts to a group of rookies, journeymen, and aging veterans who are past their prime.

But ownership will not be able to sit idly by for much longer. While it may be unfair to blame the coaches, front office executives, or even the players for the horrendous start to the 2022 season, someone is going to have to take the fall. Who's it going to be?

1. Manager David Bell will take the fall for the Reds poor performance.

One of the easiest moves the Cincinnati Reds could make would be to fire David Bell. While I think that's incredibly unfair, such is the life of a manager in Major League Baseball.

However, I think relieving Bell of his duties is not going to fix the problem. No manager, not even Sparky Anderson, is going to win with the group of players currently on the Cincinnati Reds roster.

The Reds have gotten rid of the heart of their batting order from a year ago. Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suárez are gone. That's 93 doubles, 89 home runs, and 250 RBIs the Reds lost from last season's team that finished the year 83-79. I don't care how you slice it,

You can question some of Bell's decision making; that's what we as fans do. I oftentimes think of it as an impossible situation because if the decision works, you're a genius. If it fails, you're a moron. It's a lose-lose situation.

While David Bell could certainly be the fall guy for this team's shortcomings, having signed a contract extension last season makes that unlikely. It could happen, but I think even ownership knows that the lack of winning has little to do with who the manager is.

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