Blue Jays add David Bell to front office

The Toronto Blue Jays hired David Bell as the new vice president of baseball operations and assistant general manager, the club announced Friday.

Bell, who recently served as the Cincinnati Reds manager, will be in charge of Toronto's player development and report to general manager Ross Atkins.

The 52-year-old Bell was fired in late September after spending six seasons as the Reds skipper. He posted a 409-456 record with the team, which included a wild-card appearance in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Bell interviewed for the Blue Jays' managerial opening in 2018 before landing with Cincinnati, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.