David Bell, Reds Agree to Contract Extension Through 2026

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell's contract has been extended through 2026, the team announced Friday.

A Cincinnati native, Bell joined the club in 2018. His contract was set to expire at the end of the season.

Before taking over in Cincinnati, Bell played for six MLB teams from 1995 to 2006. He then worked on the coaching staff for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals and served in the San Francisco Giants' front office.

The Reds have been discussing Bell's extension "for the last few weeks" as the team became established as a contender in the NL playoff race, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith.

The Reds currently sit 1.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central lead and are on their way to what could be Cincinnati's best season in a decade. That came as somewhat of a surprise to a club that finished last season 62-100 and 31.0 games back.

Bell's club has the chance to become the first team in MLB history to win a division after losing 100 games the season prior, the team noted. That surprisingly early end to last season's rebuild might have been helped along by Bell's efforts to change the team culture.

If the Reds are able to carry this momentum through the end of the season, it will mark their second playoff appearance in four years under Bell, including the NL Wild Card spot earned during the shortened 2020 campaign.

The news of Bell's extension comes the day after the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported former Cincinnati executive Buddy Bell, David's father, had "quietly resigned several weeks ago" from the Reds' front office.

Buddy Bell, 71, told the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jason Williams he stepped down to spend more time with his family.

Buddy, his father Gus and his late son Mike all played for the Reds at different points of their MLB careers. David Bell is now set to maintain that family connection to the Cincinnati club for at least three more seasons.