Hartman: Firing Bryan Price shows winning might actually matter to Cincinnati Reds

RELATED: What’s a manager worth, anyway?

The Cincinnati Reds firing Bryan Price might not make them better, but at least he will no longer be able to make them worse.

I wanted Price to work out as the team’s manager, and I don’t want to celebrate anyone losing their job.

He seems like a good man who knows baseball. I hope he lands on his feet, and I believe he will.

But he had to go.

Dusty Baker (Price’s predecessor) did some great things to help close the door on a decade-plus of losing, but he had taken the Reds as far as he could with his managerial style (good) and lineup-building foibles (bad).

Price, the architect of a great pitching staff under Baker, made as much sense as anyone to get the job four years ago.

He stumbled out of the gate with a flawed team, but he showed some progress as the manager even as the roster got worse and injuries multiplied.

Certainly making a change after last season would have been justified, but sticking with him wasn’t the worst idea, either, considering he had not really had much to work with and there was reason to think the Reds would be better this season.

With a 3-15 record, they are not, of course.

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So far, this has looked like one of the worst Cincinnati teams ever, in fact, and Price blew multiple games last week with bizarre late-inning decisions.

The manager doesn’t swing the bat and he doesn’t make the pitches (or throw the ball over Joey Votto’s head), but he’s in there for some reason, right?

This team needs new direction.

They needed to do something to shake up the clubhouse before losing became a way of life for another summer on the riverfront.

After players’ managers like Baker and Price, perhaps a good ol’ fashioned butt kicker could do some good.

We shall see if Jim Riggleman is that man.

If not, well, we’ll see next year if it’s someone else.