Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams resigned “to pursue personal interests outside baseball,” the team announced Wednesday.
Williams spent the past 15 years with the organization on a full-time basis but has been involved with the Reds longer; his family is part of the Reds’ ownership group. He said he is going to work at the family-owned North American properties.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to work directly with my father and uncle for the first time,” said Williams, 50. “Aside from the Reds, we have a lot of exciting businesses to grow.”
Nick Krall will continue in his role as the team’s vice president and general manager, the team said.
“Dick is a Cincinnati Red through and through, and his departure from our day-to-day operations leaves a void,” Reds CEO Bob Castellini said. “We are going to take a closer at the structure of our baseball operations before making any decisions about replacing him.”
The Reds qualified for the postseason four times in the past 11 years. They were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild-card series last week after finishing the abbreviated season 31-29.
The team won the NL Central Division twice during his tenure and won Baseball America’s Organization of the Year Award in 2012.
“It is the right time for me to begin a transition, both professionally and personally,” Williams said. “More than anything, I was so proud to represent this unbelievable city of ours. It was the honor of a lifetime to be a small part of assembling teams that went out and battled for these fans. My earliest memories are of being a fan of the Reds and of my father and grandfather being involved with the team and bringing that success. I always wanted to play a part in bringing that full circle.”
