Reds to hire Jay Bell

The Reds will hire Jay Bell as their new bench coach, Ken Rosenthal reports. Bell, of course, was the Pirates' hitting coach in 2013. It's hard to say what impact his coaching might have had -- the Pirates had an average-ish offense on his watch, thanks to Andrew McCutchen putting up MVP numbers and several other players posting slightly-above-average seasons.

Anyway, it looks like the Pirates will have to find a new hitting coach, which is no big deal in the scheme of things. And if Bell can convince the Reds that perhaps throwing at the Pirates' hitters at every opportunity isn't the safest course of action, all the better. Then again, maybe this is another example of the Reds trolling the Pirates. Who knows. For Bell, this is a step up. Good for him.

UPDATE: The Pirates will likely "stay internal" as they replace Bell, Rosenthal writes. Travis Sawchik reports that one candidate is Jeff Branson.