SAN FRANCISCO -- When David Bell returned to the Giants organization last offseason, there was a feeling among a lot of team officials that he wasn't back just to overhaul the farm system. What was unclear, though, was the role he would eventually take.
Some felt Bell was the manager-in-waiting and could replace Bruce Bochy as soon as 2020. Others felt he was the likely choice to take over as general manager if Bobby Evans was eventually pushed out.
We know now that Bell will have neither role. On Monday, he was introduced as the manager of his hometown Cincinnati Reds. For Bell, it's clear how meaningful this is. He was born in Cincinnati and helped lead Moeller High School to a state championship there 29 years ago. His father, Buddy, works in the Reds front office, and the two will become just the fourth father-son duo to become managers.
For the Giants, there is a lot more uncertainty. They continue to search for a new head the baseball operations department, and per sources, that process continues to be a deliberate one. Bell's decision, though, means there's another significant hole in the front office, and there will likely be another shift in how the organization's minor league system is run.
The Giants thought they had a rising star when Bell was brought in last October, and he got strong reviews for the changes he made in a year. Bell already had replaced a large portion of minor league staffs and more changes were expected this offseason, and he changed the way the organization handled instructional leagues and minor league players' preparation for the upcoming season. He was in charge of all aspects of player development, and the Giants will now need to find their third farm director in three years.
A new president of baseball operations would have had his or her views, too, but given Bell's reputation and the fact that the Giants have made it clear they're not starting from scratch, he likely would have continued to make changes as he saw fit.
The good news for the organization is that this is the best possible time for this to happen. Bell was the go-to executive for many young Giants after Evans was fired, and over the season's final weekend, several said they planned to check in with him early in the offseason. But players are scattered right now, and the Giants should be able to get a new farm director in place pretty quickly after they've made the bigger hire.
