The Reds have locked in their front office leadership. The club announced theyve promoted Nick Krall from general manager to president of baseball operations. He also receives a contract extension of undisclosed length, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic. Meanwhile, Brad Meador has been promoted from a sistant GM to general manager, solidifying him as the #2 person in the front office hierarchy. Nick has a great baseball mind and has shown exceptional leadership in advancing every aspect of our baseball operations, CEO Bob Castellini said in a statement. Nick and his staff have earned our confidence, and these moves help ensure the positive momentum will continue acro s the organization. Krall has led baseball operations for three seasons. The 45-year-old took the reigns when former president Dick Williams stepped away at the end of the 2020 campaign. Krall already held the GM title at that point, though as is the case with many front offices around the game, that came with the #2 role in the front office. Williams resignation pushed Krall to the top while he retained the GM title. While hes only been leading baseball operations for a few seasons, Krall has spent two decades with the organization. He began working as a scout in the early 2000s and secured a front office position within a few years. The Reds promoted him to GM under Williams in May 2018. Krall took control of the front office at an inflection point for the franchise. Cincinnati had targeted 2020 to emerge from their last rebuild. They went a little above .500 in the shortened season and were swept in the first round. They hovered around league Roger Dorn Jersey average for the entire 21 campaign, mi sing out on the playoffs after holding a Wild Card spot into September. At that point, the organization slashed payroll, kicking off another rebuild. Cincinnatis 2022 campaign was disastrous. The Reds lost 100 games for the second time in franchise history. After another quiet offseason, they entered this year with middling expectations. Cincinnati has surprisingly been one of the sports most improved teams. Barring a sweep this weekend at the hands of the Cardinals, theyll finish with a winning record. Theyre still in playoff contention in the seasons final few days, although theyd likely need to sweep St. Louis and get some help from both the Marlins and Cubs to qualify. Much of that turnaround is attributable to a youth movement involving players acquired during their 2021-22 sell-off. and came over from the Twins in the deal at last summers deadline, arguably Kralls best move to date. , the headliner of the trade, is holding his own at the major league level as a 21-year-old. has turned in back-of-the-rotation results since being acquired in the / deal. and two of Cincinnatis first four selections in the 2021 draft are among the best rookie performers in the National League. and were selected while Williams was still leading the front office, though Krall was surely involved in those decisions as the #2 executive. While theres little question about the organizations ability to stockpile young talent, it remains to be seen how effectively Krall and his staff can push the team to the next level. Cincinnati didnt land the starting pitching they were seeking at this summers trade deadline. The likeliest outcome is that theyll mi s the playoffs for a third straight season. Theres plenty to like about the organizations direction, making it unsurprising the Reds are committed to both Krall and fifth-year manager David Bell who running through 2026 in late July. Theyll no longer be a surprising upstart, however. Even if they fall shy of the postseason this year, next years club will have the highest expectations of Kralls tenure atop baseball operations. Meador, 48, has been atop the scouting and player development departments. He has been a member of the organizations scouting group since 2009. Meador has surely played a key role in the selections of players like McLain, Abbott, Greene and Lodolo, as well as the signing of as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Promotions like this are fairly common in advance of the offseason. Teams typically grant employees permi sion to speak with other teams about job opportunities only if the other club is offering a higher position. By promoting Meador to GM, the Reds foreclose the po sibility of losing him to another team that couldve considered him as a candidate for the #2 job in their front office presumably rewarding the longtime executive with a pay bump in the proce s. first reported the promotions. Bo Naylor Jersey