The Cincinnati Reds have a new controlling owner: Phil Castellini – Redleg Nation

Today there was both new and old news regarding the Cincinnati Reds and their ownership. In the summer of 2024, Phil Castellini was named team president and CEO. Bob Castellini, Phil’s father, remained in charge as principal owner and managing partner. According to Rob Manfred at a press conference on Thursday, controlling ownership of the Reds was approved over the winter, with Phil Castellini taking over from Bob Castellini. This was first reported by the Associated Press.

What it all means is not entirely clear. When the first step was announced in 2024, the Reds statement noted:

President and Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini has been promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Doug Healy has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer.

With these steps, Bob Castellini retains control and managerial responsibility over all business and baseball operations; Phil Castellini, Doug Healy and President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall will continue to report to Mr. Castellini.

The Cincinnati Reds statement noted that Bob Castellini was still in charge and that the move at the time seemed much more like people just getting fancy new titles that gave them a raise. Fox 19’s Charlie Goldsmith received a statement from the team in Goodyear on Thursday evening saying this:

That was part of the MLB protocols associated with the organizational changes the Reds announced in July 2024, naming Phil president and CEO, and Doug Healy as COO and CFO.

There seems to be a slight discrepancy between the two statements here. Two years ago the Reds said Bob Castellini was still in charge and Phil and everyone else still reported to him. In the media guide released last season, Bob is listed as the principal owner and managing partner. He is the first person in the media guide, followed by W. Joseph Williams Jr. (Chairman/Owner) and Thomas L. Williams (Vice Chairman/Owner) before joining Phil Castellini as President and CEO.

Today, Major League Baseball told the world that Phil Castellini is now viewed by them as the controlling owner of the Cincinnati Reds, taking over from his father. But the Reds say this is the same news from 2024, but it was just approved through Major League Baseball’s voting protocols.

So the question here is: what is it? Is Phil Castellini the owner of the Reds now, or is Bob? And if it’s not Bob and it’s Phil, does he still report to Bob, as the team stated in July 2024 when they made the move to promote Phil to the position of president and CEO? Would the guy named “controlling owner” report to someone else in the organization? That seems a bit strange.

Someone from the Castellini family is still in charge at the top of the organization. Whether it’s Bob or his son Phil seems a bit confusing based on what the team has said over the past two years. It wouldn’t be surprising if the youngest of the Castellinis has indeed taken over. Bob is 84 years old and while there is no news about his health or condition, that is also an age when most people have finished working. Even people who are very, very rich and have ‘office jobs’.