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CINCINNATI -- For the first time since after the 2018 season, the Reds' front office has tasked itself with a managerial search.

The club has begun the process of finding a replacement for David Bell, who was fired on Sunday after six seasons. President of baseball operations Nick Krall and general manager Brad Meador will lead the process, and there is no known timeline for when it will be completed.

“As soon as possible, we’re going to go through a thorough search," Krall said.

Ideally, it would be best for Cincinnati to have its new manager in place before the General Managers Meetings in November.

Krall has not identified candidates -- except for interim manager Freddie Benavides -- but he was asked if previous managerial experience was a prerequisite for a candidate.

“We’re looking for somebody that can lead this clubhouse," Krall replied. "We’re looking for somebody that can develop the young players in this clubhouse as we continue to build through scouting and player development.”

Here is a list of candidates the Reds could consider in the coming days and weeks.

Potential external candidates

Terry Francona
A likely Hall of Fame manager who won two World Series championships with the Red Sox and an American League pennant with Cleveland, Francona owns a résumé that speaks for itself. However, the 65-year-old Francona retired after the 2023 season due to health issues. But Bruce Bochy also retired from the Giants for health reasons before getting back into the game with the Rangers last season, when he led Texas to its first World Series title.

Krall and Meador should at least break off a phone call to see if Francona -- who played for the Reds in 1987 -- is interested.

Skip Schumaker
Named the 2023 National League Manager of the Year after leading the Marlins to the postseason, Schumaker is enduring a rebuilding year and a losing campaign. He is expected to be free to pursue other jobs when his contract expires at the end of this season. A former Reds player at the end of his career, from 2014-15, Schumaker has a penchant for holding players accountable and mixing an old-school vibe with new-school analytics, making him an interesting candidate.

David Ross
Yet another former Reds player, Ross was a catcher in Cincinnati from 2006-08. He served as the Cubs' manager from 2020-23 and was respected for his work, but his only postseason team, in 2020, was eliminated without winning a game. Ross' Cubs won 83 games in '23, but he was dismissed mid-contract as the Cubs hired Craig Counsell away from Milwaukee.

Don Mattingly
An excellent-hitting former Yankees first baseman and the ex-manager of the Dodgers and Marlins over a combined 12 seasons, Mattingly currently serves as the bench coach for the Blue Jays. An Indiana native, Mattingly was the 2020 NL Manager of the Year with Miami.

Miguel Cairo
Cairo played 17 seasons, including 2010-12 for the Reds, and he moved immediately into coaching after retiring. He was Cincinnati's interim first-base coach in 2013 and later became an organizational instructor. Cairo then became a bench coach for the White Sox and served as their interim manager when Tony La Russa stepped down in 2022. Cairo is currently the bench coach for the Nationals.

Other names to think about: Phillies third-base coach Dusty Wathan, Rangers associate manager Will Venable, Mariners first-base coach Kristopher Negrón, former Mariners manager Scott Servais, MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough, Rays bench coach Rodney Linares, Diamondbacks bench coach and former Rangers manager Jeff Banister.

Potential internal candidates

Freddie Benavides
Benavides has been the Reds' bench coach for the past six seasons, and he is a longtime organization man. Before coaching in the big leagues, Benavides spent 15 years in the Minor League system as a coordinator or manager. He also played for Cincinnati in 1991 and '92.

Benavides would like to be considered.

"I’ll sit with Nick and Brad -- we’ll have some meetings in the next couple of days," Benavides said. "I’ve managed before, when [Bell] has been suspended. It’s fun. This time, whether it’s five games or not, you look at it as, 'This is your club.' You have to."

Barry Larkin
Synonymous with his hometown of Cincinnati and a Hall of Famer after playing 19 seasons as the Reds' shortstop, Larkin has a senior-advisor role in the front office and has been the club's TV analyst the past four years. He has long coveted the job, sometimes openly.

Luke Maile
Currently Cincinnati's backup catcher and a Northern Kentucky native, Maile has been a clubhouse leader and often speaks to team issues. Perhaps he could be baseball's first player-manager since the Reds had Pete Rose fill both roles from 1984-86.