Dick Williams Resigns as Reds' President of Baseball Operations

The Cincinnati Reds announced Wednesday that Dick Williams has resigned as the club's president of baseball operations.

Williams had worked in the Reds' front office since 2006.

His departure comes after Cincinnati was eliminated from the 2020 MLB playoffs by the Atlanta Braves during the National League Wild Card Round last week.

Williams told Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he was planning to leave the organization to take a more hands-on role within his family business, North American Properties, regardless of how the postseason played out.

"This job can be thrilling and rewarding and maddening and crushing, sometimes all at the same time," he said. "More than anything, I was so proud to represent this unbelievable city of ours. It was the honor of a lifetime to be a small part of assembling teams that went out and battled for these fans."

Although the Reds made the playoffs just four times during his tenure with the organization, he's hopeful the foundation is now in place for long-term success.

"Serving in this role has been the honor of a lifetime," he said. "We never wavered in our quest for the ultimate prize. Ultimately, we didn't achieve as much success as I had hoped. I hope the contributions I have made in the recent past can help us continue our upwards trajectory and reach our goal in the near future."

Williams served in several different executive capacities during his 15 years with the club. He became the team's president of baseball operations in 2016 and was the general manager from 2016 through 2018. Nick Krall took over as GM in May 2018, and he is now in line to lead the front office.

The Reds are set to return most of the key contributors from their 2020 roster sans potential free-agent starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, and they have three tier-one prospects in the latest farm system rankings from Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.

Cincinnati should enter 2021 as a top contender in the deep NL Central once again.