Blue Jays Hire Fired Reds Manager David Bell As Front Office Executive

Former Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell reportedly has a new home in baseball.

Sportsnet's Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith reported Friday that the Toronto Blue Jays hired Bell as vice president of baseball operations and assistant general manager.

Despite being signed to a contract extension in 2023, the 52-year-old Bell was fired by the Reds in late September after a disappointing season in which Cincinnati finished 77–85 and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

Over six seasons as the Reds' manager, Bell registered a 409–456 record (.473 winning percentage) and received votes for the NL Manager of the Year award twice.

Bell played 12 seasons in the big leagues from 1995 to 2006 for six different teams. He began his coaching career as the manager of the Reds' Double-A affiliate in 2008 and worked his way up to Triple-A in '11. After stops with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals coaching staffs, Bell served as the San Francisco Giants' president of player development from 2017 to '18.

Bell now will work alongside general manager Ross Atkins in the Blue Jays' front office as Toronto attempts to rebound from its 74–88 campaign in 2024.