SAN FRANCISCO _ Some members of the Giants organization viewed farm director David Bell as a potential successor to manager Bruce Bochy.
That perception will now change.
The Cincinnati Reds announced that Bell has been hired as the team's next manager, leaving the Giants with another vacant position in the front office.
Bell joined the Giants last offseason as the club's vice president of player development and took on the task of revamping the franchise's farm system. As the team concluded the regular season and entered a period of uncertainty, Giants CEO Larry Baer lauded the former 12-year major league veteran for his efforts and sounded determined to move forward with Bell as a member of the organization.
It's possible Bell also emerged as an in-house candidate to replace Bobby Evans as the Giants head of baseball operations, but the club's search for a new executive remains ongoing.
Bell will take over in Cincinnati one year before Bochy's contract in San Francisco expires. Bochy has not revealed whether the 2019 season will be his last with the Giants, but it's likely a new president of baseball operations will want to assume more control over the organization's personnel.
The Reds announced that Bell has agreed to a three-year contract with a team option for 2022 and made Bell and his father Buddy the fourth father-son duo to serve as major league managers. Buddy Bell had three separate stints as a manager, leading the Detroit Tigers (1996-1998), the Colorado Rockies (2000-2002) and the Kansas City Royals (2005-2007).
David Bell spent the 2002 season as the third baseman for the Giants, as he won the team's Willie McCovey Award and scored the game-winning run on a walk-off single in the National League Championship Series to send the club to the World Series.
