CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds have at least one candidate who has thrown his hat into the ring to be their manager in 2025, and that’s the man who will occupy the position for the last five games of this season: Freddie Benavides.
“That’s what you shoot for — listen, the resume speaks,” Benavides said Monday afternoon in a short news conference at Great American Ball Park before the team leaves for Cleveland. “I’ve managed. I’ve been an infield coordinator in the minor leagues. I’ve been a field coordinator, ran the minor-league system, basically. I’ve been an infield coach up here, been a first-base coach and now bench coach. I don’t know what else there is, general manager maybe? It’s the next step. It’s what everyone’s goal is in coaching. You want to be the ultimate leader, you want to be the manager.”
The Reds announced the firing of David Bell, who had been the team’s manager since 2019, Sunday night. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Monday he didn’t have a list of candidates, but that won’t stop anyone else from throwing one out there.
Here’s a look at some possible candidates to become the next Reds manager in alphabetical order, starting with the incumbent.
Freddie Benavides
• Who is he? The 52-year-old Benavides first joined the Reds organization in 1987 when the team took him in the second round of the 1987 draft. Benavides has been part of the Reds’ big-league staff for the last 11 years. Benavides was the only member of the staff Bell retained after taking over the job, making him the team’s bench coach. Benavides interviewed for the job in 2018 before Bell was hired. He’s also served in the Reds’ minor-league system, managing for four seasons, including Dayton’s inaugural season in 2000. Joey Votto gave credit to Benavides’ work with him as a minor leaguer when Votto won a Gold Glove in 2011. Benavides, of Mexican heritage, is fluent in Spanish.
• Why does he fit? Well, if anyone has ever had an extended interview, it’s Benavides. The Reds know exactly what they have in the El Paso, Texas, native. He’s respected within the organization and is a Reds lifer. If anyone has worked their way to the top, it would be Benavides.
• Why does he not fit? The two biggest marks against Benavides are that he’s never been a manager in the big leagues and he would represent a status quo hire. If Krall had “philosophical differences” with Bell, Benavides would have to demonstrate how and why his philosophy would differ from the previous regime.
Miguel Cairo
• Who is he? The 50-year-old Cairo is the bench coach for the Washington Nationals. He played for nine teams during a 17-year career, the last three in Cincinnati during Dusty Baker’s tenure as Reds manager.
• Why does he fit? Even in his playing days, the native Venezuelan was seen as a future manager. Since then, he’s done nothing to dispel that notion. After retirement, Cairo was hired as a special assistant to then-Reds general manager Walt Jocketty. He served as an interim first-base coach in 2013 after Reds third-base coach Mark Berry was diagnosed with throat cancer. After working with the Reds and New York Yankees, he joined his former manager Tony La Russa on the Chicago White Sox coaching staff for 2021 and was active manager for the final 34 games of the 2022 season, going 18-16, but was not retained. Nationals manager Dave Martinez hired him as his bench coach last offseason.
• Why does he not fit? Much like Benavides, Cairo has not served as a full-time manager in the big leagues.
Terry Francona
• Who is he? Simply put, he’s one of the most successful managers in the history of the game. Francona, 65, has won 1,950 games as a manager, made 11 postseason appearances in his 23 seasons as a manager and won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox plus an American League pennant with Cleveland.
• Why does he fit? See above.
• Why does he not fit? Francona is 65 years old, had health issues causing him to step away from managing the team in 2020 and 2021 and retired after last season. Though Francona’s name has come up in rumors, there’s been no indication he has been itching to return to the dugout.
Don Mattingly
• Who is he? Donnie Ballgame had his No. 23 retired by the New York Yankees, which says plenty about his playing career. As a manager, Mattingly spent five years leading the Los Angeles Dodgers and another seven with the Miami Marlins. He led his teams to playoff berths four times, three with Los Angeles and one with Miami. The 63-year-old has spent the last two years as the Toronto Blue Jays bench coach.
• Why does he fit? Mattingly has experience as a manager, has stayed in the game as a bench coach and has the pedigree to earn the nod. The Evansville, Ind., native was the 2020 National League manager of the year after guiding the Marlins to the playoffs in the COVID-19-shortened season.
• Why does he not fit? Mattingly took the Dodgers to the playoffs three times, but only made one League Championship Series and never made the World Series. He also had a reputation for not embracing analytics.
Kristopher Negrón
• Who is he? The 38-year-old Negrón has been the Seattle Mariners first-base coach since 2022. He spent one year as a manager in Triple-A, winning the Triple-A West championship in 2021 with the Mariners’ Tacoma affiliate. Negrón played parts of six big-league seasons with four teams, with most of his time coming as a member of the Reds from 2012 to 2015. In addition to serving as a manager in the Mariners system, he also has time in the front office.
• Why does he fit? The Reds know Negrón, who made his big-league debut for the team in 2012. As a utility player, Negrón had a good reputation within the organization. In his one season as a minor-league manager, he won a title and was named his league’s manager of the year.
• Why does he not fit? Negrón’s resume is among the lightest on this list. That hasn’t hurt some other managers around baseball, but after taking a chance on a first-time big-league manager in Bell, the Reds might look for a more experienced choice.
Barry Larkin
• Who is he? Larkin, 60, is the Reds’ color commentator for home games on the Reds’ Bally Sports telecasts. He also once played for the Reds and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
• Why does he fit? Like the Reds’ last manager, Larkin is a Cincinnati native and Moeller High School graduate. He’d also guarantee the Reds ownership group would get a rare win in the news conference, making many longtime Reds fans happy.
• Why does he not fit? Larkin has managed internationally, but not in professional baseball. The game has also changed drastically since Larkin’s playing days. In the broadcast booth, he’s espoused more old-school beliefs about the way the game should be played that don’t line up with current baseball front offices.
Skip Schumaker
• Who is he? Schumaker is in his second year as the manager of the Miami Marlins. Schumaker, 44, led the Marlins to the playoffs in his first year and was named National League manager of the year. This year the Marlins lead the National League with 99 losses entering Monday. Schumaker played parts of 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds.
• Why does he fit? Schumaker has shown he can do the job, leading the Marlins to the playoffs in his first year. He has a reputation as hard, but fair, just as he did as a player. He’s known and respected in the organization. He’s also a free agent at the end of this season.
• Why does he not fit? The Marlins could be the only team in the National League to lose 100 games this season. That’s not entirely his fault, but that’s not always part of the consideration when evaluating a manager (see Bell, David). He’s also expected to be among the most sought-after candidates on the market and is a natural pick to take over for Oli Marmol if the Cardinals fire their manager. Even if St. Louis gives Marmol another year, Schumaker would have no shortage of other opportunities if he wanted to wait for just the right managerial spot.
Scott Servais
• Who is he? The 57-year-old Servais was fired as the Mariners manager last month after leading the team since 2016. He helped get the Mariners to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years in 2022. He’s received manager of the year votes three times, finishing second in 2021. Servais played parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues as a catcher, playing for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies.
• Why does he fit? Servais is a proven manager with a track record of winning with young teams.
• Why does he not fit? The Mariners fired him last month after he started the season 64-64, and his replacement, Dan Wilson, has gone 16-12 since taking over the team and has the team back in playoff contention heading into the final week of the season.
Will Venable
• Who is he? A 41-year-old former outfielder, Venable has spent the last two seasons as the Texas Rangers’ associate manager under Bruce Bochy. Venable is a graduate of Princeton University, where he was the second player to ever earn All-Ivy League honors in both baseball and basketball after Chris Young, who is now his boss as the Rangers’ general manager. Venable played outfield for parts of nine seasons with the San Diego Padres, Rangers and Dodgers.
• Why does he fit? Venable is one of the most respected managerial candidates in the game. Venable was already a top candidate before going to the Rangers, where he’s worked side-by-side with Bochy, who is considered to be one of the greatest postseason managers in baseball history.
• Why does he not fit? Last offseason, Venable declined an opportunity to interview for the open New York Mets job. Just as the Reds need to be interested in a candidate, that candidate also has to be interested in the Reds. Venable was also reportedly a candidate for the Cleveland Guardians job last offseason. So it might not be what Venable offers the Reds as much as what the Reds offer Venable.
(Top photo of Freddie Benavides: Sam Greene / The Enquirer / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
