MLB Insider Shares Surprising Update on Reds Leadership Heading Into Next Season

Multiple reports have come about this over the past week.

President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall listens as new manager Terry Francona answers questions from the media during an event to introduce the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After making the postseason a year ago on the last day of the season, the Reds have once again been eliminated from playoff contention this year. It's the 26th time in 31 years that they've not reached the postseason.

The Reds last won a postseason game in 2012. They last won a postseason series in 2026.

Cincinnati currently sits at 70-81 and in last place in the National League Central Division. They're 24 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in first place.

MLB Insider Expects Management to be Back

Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall walks between fields at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Buster Olney shared what he’s hearing around the league about which managers and front office leaders could return next season and whose jobs could be i

While multiple reports have already hinted at this, Olney thinks Nick Krall and Terry Francona will both return in 2027.

"Following last year's playoff berth, Cincinnati contended early on this season before faltering," Olney wrote. "But league sources say that Nick Krall, the team's head of baseball operations, is on solid ground, and manager Terry Francona will go into his third year with the Reds next season."

For a team that underwhelmed so much this season, it's a surprising move.

A Surprising Move

New Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (right) shakes hands with team owner Bob Castellini during an event to introduce the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While you could make a case to move on from Terry Francona, that likely was never going to happen. The case for keeping Krall is harder to understand. At some point, you have to wonder whether his long tenure and willingness to go along with ownership carry more weight than the results on the field.

While the Reds have had a winning record in three of Krall's six seasons, they've only made the postseason once and they've never had more than 83 wins.

Look at the moves Krall has made and where they’ve left the Reds. The Jeimer Candelario signing was a costly mistake. The Ke’Bryan Hayes and Gavin Lux trades haven’t provided the upgrades the Reds needed, and they gave up young talent to make those deals. Even the returns for Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray haven’t turned into the foundation those trades were supposed to help build.

Not every prospect is going to work out, and no front office gets every move right. But when you’re working with a limited payroll, you can’t afford this many misses. These decisions have set the organization back, and Krall has to answer for that.

I've said it a million times and I'll say it again. Reds fans deserve better.