Barry Larkin Interested In Managing Cincinnati Reds


Beloved Cincinnati native Barry Larkin could be returning to the franchise where he played his entire career. Well, if he has things his way, at least.

A Hall of Fame shortstop, Larkin has been linked to managerial rumors for the struggling Redlegs, and apparently he’s interested in the idea of coming back to the Queen City.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted in his latest column that Larkin has been speaking to former Reds teammates about joining him in the event that he joined the Reds as a manager.

“Talk at the All-Star break that Larkin could replace Price before the end of the season proved unfounded. But Larkin in recent months has surveyed former Reds teammates about whether they would join his coaching staff if he became manager, sources said.”

Larkin is universally loved in the city of Cincinnati, where he helped lead the 1990 Reds to a World Series title. He also won the 1995 MVP, three Gold Gloves, nine Silver Sluggers, and was named to twelve All-Star games.

This wouldn’t be Larkin’s first coaching job. He served as a bench coach for the United States at the World Baseball Classic in 2009, and he also managed the team when Davey Johnson had to miss a second-round game against Puerto Rico.

Detriot Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski hoped to interview Larkin in late 2013 for the organization’s open managerial position, but Larkin turned the interview down because he wasn’t interested in the commitment of time that went along with the position. Larkin did interview, however, with the Tampa Bay Rays the following year.

Current Reds manager Bryan Price has had a rough go of it during his first two seasons, compiling a 128-159 record. The team has been ravaged by injuries over the last two years, with Homer Bailey, Joey Votto, Sean Marshall, Aroldis Chapman, and several others missing significant amounts of playing time.

The team also underwent a major overhaul in order to save money, as Jonathan Broxton, Alfredo Simon, Mat Latos, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, and Marlon Byrd were all traded. Price is signed with the Reds through the 2016 season.

Reds fans have experienced a huge amount of frustration this season, as they’ve watched their team fall to last place. Prior to Price taking over managerial duties from Dusty Baker, Cincinnati made the postseason three times from 2010-2013.

Larkin isn’t the only Hall of Famer who could be getting work as a manager. Cal Ripken Jr. has also apparently shown interest in managing the Washington Nationals.

[Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images Sport]

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