Who is David Bell? Know all about new Blue Jays VP of baseball operations recently fired by Reds

Recently discharged Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell has found a new home north of the border with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadian MLB team announced Bell as their new vice president of baseball operations, and he will also act as the assistant for Blue Jays manager John Schneider.

Bell played for seven teams during a 12-year playing career as an infielder in the MLB. He spent six years as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds since his first season in 2019, earning one postseason appearance with the team during his tenure in 2020. He was sacked by the Reds just a week before the end of the 2024 season, with the team missing out on the playoffs yet again.

On Friday, the Blue Jays released an official statement on bringing in David Bell to be a part of their front office.

"Bell will oversee the player development and physical and mental performance departments, while also contributing to Major League strategic planning decisions and advising on player evaluations and acquisitions," the statement read.

"Bell reports to Ross Atkins, EVP, baseball operations and general manager, and joins the baseball operations leadership team."

Prior to joining the Reds, Bell was reportedly among a shortlist of candidates to take the manager's role for the Blue Jays. He was serving as the vice president of youth development for the San Francisco Giants at the time.

Disappointing end to Reds tenure for David Bell

David Bell served as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds for six seasons (Image Source: IMAGN)

Cincinnati named David Bell as its manager prior to the start of the 2019 season. Bell ended a seven-year playoff drought for the franchise with a second-place finish in the National League Central during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. However, they were immediately knocked out by the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Series.

Bell was subsequently offered a contract extension by the Reds the following year but failed to earn a postseason berth once again. He received another extension in the middle of the 2023 season to keep him at the club for the next three years as the Reds continued to develop an exciting new team around products from their farm system.

Therefore, Reds fans expected their team to be challenging for a postseason berth once again, with young, homegrown stars such as Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene continuing their progress. However, the team could not generate any long-term consistency, and Bell was ultimately sacked after their playoff hopes were dashed a week before the end of the regular season.

The Reds ended the 2024 campaign in fourth place in the NL Central with a 77-85 record, earning five fewer victories than the previous year. Former Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians skipper Terry Francona was revealed as their new manager for the 2025 season earlier this month.