Cincinnati Reds Rumors: Price Out, Larkin In As Manager?

During a year that has seen the Cincinnati Reds flounder in last place of the NL Central Division, the organization has another problem. Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price looks to be in danger of losing his job. Rumors have listed Barry Larkin as one of his possible replacements.

There were rumors around the time of the All-Star break that Hall of Famer Barry Larkin was about to take over for Bryan Price, rumors that proved to be unfounded. The Reds have gotten worse under Price. Fox Sports insider Ken Rosenthal reported that Larkin has begun to gauge interest from other former Reds about possibly joining a staff should he be hired.

Bryan Price has been at the helm of the Reds for two years. Since taking over on October 22, 2013, Price has compiled a record of 131-163. The fans are restless since Dusty Baker, former Reds manager, had guided the team to two consecutive playoff appearances.

Price has been consistent in his efforts to lose and doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Bryan is winning only four out of every 10 games. As the season nears its end, Price could easily steer the Reds to a worse record than last year. With the Reds flaunting 77 losses, Bryan has the team on track to lose 95 games or more. According to CBS Sports baseball insider Jon Heyman, there are issues with GM Walt Jocketty as well.

Bryan Price’s campaign for 2015 has been marred by a foul-mouthed incident with a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter in April. During his blowup exchange with the reporter, Price used variations of the “F” word 77 times. The reporter allegedly saw catcher Devin Mesoraco on his flight, and then tweeted the catcher wasn’t available to play during a game in St. Louis because of an injury. Price later apologized for the confrontation.

Before hosting the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, Price and the Reds had high expectations. They were hovering around the .500 mark and hoping for a turnaround after some time off. Things got worse. Bryan navigated the Reds into a major slide and never recovered. The highlight of the skid was a nine-game losing streak

Jocketty has said that Price is safe through the end of this year. That’s meaningless since it doesn’t save Bryan from being dumped immediately after the season ends.

Things don’t look good for Price. When a manager says he can think of far worse things than losing nine games in a row, it may be time to spruce up the resume.

[Photo by Joe Robbins / Getty Images]