Former Brewers infielder fired as manager of NL Central rival

The NL Central did not play out the way many were expecting. The Brewers seemed primed to take a step backwards while teams like the Cubs and the Reds were primed to take a step forward. Instead the opposite came true as the Brewers repeated as division champs while the Cubs and Reds fell short in their bid for the playoffs.

One of those disappointing teams just fired their manager on Sunday night, who just so happened to be a former Brewers infielder. That's right, David Bell has been fired as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds gave Bell, a member of the 2006 Brewers club, a contract extension prior to the season. However, after a disappointing 76-81 record this year and a likely 4th place finish, Cincinnati has decided to make a change. Fansided's Robert Murray was first to report the news.

Cincinnati Reds fire former Brewers player David Bell

The Reds were one of the picks to click coming into the 2024 season. They made some free agent additions over the winter, including Jeimer Candelario on a multi-year deal and Nick Martinez as well. Cincinnati also signed Frankie Montas to fortify their rotation and ended up trading him to the Brewers at the trade deadline.

Cincinnati has a young core and they're frankly constructed very similarly to the Brewers. There's a lot of young position players, some young pitchers and a good group of veterans to help lead the way. The Brewers have found a way to keep things going despite all the turnover, the adversity, and having a first year manager. Meanwhile the Reds kept spinning their wheels and they've had the same guy at the helm the past several years in Bell.

While there's no specific link between the Brewers having success costing Bell his job, the Reds have to be looking at the NL Central and see how the Brewers are having success while in a similar situation and they just aren't. Injuries have plagued the Reds, but also the Brewers this year. That can't be an excuse. The Brewers won the season series against the Reds this year 9-4.

With so much young talent in Cincinnati, if they can find the right man to lead the dugout, they could be in position to make some noise next year and make it stick. This manager opening isn't quite as dramatic or unexpected as what happened last year among NL Central managers, but a team that has on occasion given the Brewers some headaches is making a change.

Milwaukee should be keeping an eye on how that manager search goes down in Cincinnati. Time will tell if any other NL Central clubs make a change in the manager's chair over the next week or so.