The Cincinnati Reds are having an underwhelming season and performing below expectations. This is a common occurrence not only for the past couple of seasons, but for the past couple of decades.
Even with some successful seasons under their belt, the current ownership group, led by Bob Castellini, finds itself in the crosshairs of Reds fans looking to assign blame. Having been the principal owner since 2006, Castellini has seen both successful and subpar seasons. Why, then, is he not given the benefit of the doubt?
Here’s a brutally honest conversation about Reds ownership, and a look at how the relationship between the team’s fans and its owners has deteriorated.
Despite the same group owning the team since 2006, they’ve decided to pivot multiple times, resulting in five general managers in 20 years. Starting with Dan O’Brien, followed by Wayne Krivsky, Walt Jocketty, Dick Williams, and finally Nick Krall who currently holds the position.
With each change of the guard came a new set of staff, relationships, and philosophies, leading to the franchise never fully committing to any single long-term direction. The closest they came was under Jocketty (2008-2015), when they reached the postseason in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
It helps that Jocketty was given more runway than most, as only he and Nick Krall were given more than three years in the position. It’s not as if the manager position has been any more consistent, either, as there have been a total of nine, including interim managers after a mid-season firing, since 2005.
This revolving door of the position has also led to fan-favorite players being traded away time and time again. With a constantly changing staff and roster, both fans and players can struggle to get an idea of where the franchise is going. It doesn’t help that Castellini has a reputation for meddling with the decision-making process while actively refusing that he does so. Not only does this (inevitably) make the manager’s job more difficult, but it also leads to fans losing faith in those managers and, ultimately, ownership.
Even with their limited success, two decades’ worth of swiveling and promises made in bad faith have corroded this ownership’s relationship with its fanbase. When the Reds were acquired in 2005, with Castellini now the principal owner and CEO, the new group released an open letter to Cincinnati.
Eventually, in 2022, the letter would stand in stark contrast to fans calling for a change in ownership. Not only was ‘#SellTheTeamBob’ briefly the top trending topic on X, but a billboard was erected to let Castellini know the city was unhappy.
This came on the heels of the team trading multiple fan-favorite players in the offseason, who seemed to be leading the team toward more success. When Bob Castellini’s son (now Team President), Phil Castellini, was asked about fans’ discontent in an interview, he uttered possibly the four most incendiary words possible: “Where you gonna go?”
Interestingly, the trades that elicited the backlash for this particular interview are a large factor in the team’s current upside. Sending away Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, Tyler Naquin, Sonny Gray, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez seemed drastic at the time, but in hindsight was the right move. These transactions brought in Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Chase Petty, and Jake Fraley, who are now all integral to the Reds’ success.
As well as those trades have ended up playing out, however, it hasn’t moved the needle in terms of how fans feel about the team’s ownership. The Castellini’s are still a point of contention in Cincinnati, and may not ever fully be able to get over the hump that is the approval of their fans.
Even with all of the positives that surround this Reds team, fans (while still dedicated to the team itself and its players) are more trepidatious than optimistic, and that’s putting it lightly. The lack of leadership, consistency, and sustained success, paired with a reputation for meddling and mocking, has led to the current ownership being utterly despised by their team’s fans.
Although this current roster may have the bones to be a threat for the foreseeable future (thanks to moves made by current ownership), none of it seems to be attributed to ownership. Like the boy who cried wolf to his village, the Castellinis’ reputation may already be too well-established in Cincinnati to make up any positive ground, despite any success they may achieve in the future.
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