Cincinnati Reds plan to keep manager Bryan Price
By Tim Haberin
The Cincinnati Reds plan to retain manager Bryan Price for 2016, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The decision would come as a fairly big surprise considering the Reds’ exceedingly poor performance this season. Currently mired in a 13-game losing streak, Cincinnati owns a 63-97 record and is set to finish in the basement of the NL Central. Only the Phillies sport a worse mark at the moment.
Price, who has served as Reds manager since the 2014 season, also courted controversy back in April for a fiery outburst directed at the media concerning its reporting of player injuries.
There had also been some talk recently of the Reds considering potential candidates for Price’s replacement. Among them was the team’s former shortstop, Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. It seems as though the organization has elected not to move in that direction, at least for the time being.
Cincinnati Reds
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that Cincinnati was indeed thinking about keeping Price around in 2016. They wouldn’t be the only team to give a vote of confidence to an embattled manager of late, as the Tigers and White Sox have done the same for Brad Ausmus and Robin Ventura, respectively.
In Rosenthal’s words, “The rationale for the Reds keeping Price would be similar to the Tigers’ logic for keeping Ausmus – that the manager should not be held responsible for injuries and trades that compromised the club.”
Reds fans may or may not agree with that reasoning, but the club has experienced a rather tumultuous campaign from a roster standpoint. Significant injuries have kept key players like catcher Devin Mesoraco and outfielder Billy Hamilton on the sidelines for extensive periods of time. The July trade deadline also saw the exit of starting pitching ace Johnny Cueto, among others.
It’s worth noting that Price is only under contract through the 2016 season. Unless the Reds extend him, they may simply decide to let him finish out his deal and then revisit their managerial position at the end of next season.
Next: Reds' problems, according to Johnny Bench
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