Phil Castellini takes control of Reds; succeeds father, Bob Castellini, in role

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Major League Baseball’s owners approved the transfer of control of the Cincinnati Reds to team president and chief executive officer Phil Castellini, the son of Bob Castellini, who bought the team in 2006.

Phil Castellini was named president and CEO on Aug. 1, 2024, as part of a succession plan. The 84-year old Bob Castellini appeared at Redsfest last month in Cincinnati and is expected to come to Goodyear to visit the team this month.

When contacted Thursday, Reds officials provided a statement saying Thursday’s news was the culmination of that announcement in 2024.

“This was the conclusion of the process that was started when the Reds announced organizational changes in July of 2024, naming Phil president and CEO, and Doug Healy as COO and CFO.”

Phil Castellini was not available for comment Thursday evening.

On Opening Day 2022, after the trade of several popular players, including Eugenio Suárez, Phil Castellini was asked about fan frustrations during a radio interview, and he asked for patience. When asked why fans should be patient, he infamously responded, “Well, where are you gonna go?”

After those remarks, he doubled down on them in a TV interview, only to issue an apology later in the day.

A year later, Castellini told the Rosie Reds fan group that the team operated like a “nonprofit,” and also bemoaned players’ guaranteed contracts and called baseball an “industry in crisis.”