Reds officials disliked Barry Larkin's 'public campaigning' to be manager, Rosenthal says

It was something Cincinnati Reds fans loved to hear, but did everyone in the team's front office appreciate Hall of Famer Barry Larkin - who grew up in Cincinnati, graduated from Moeller High School and played his entire career for the Reds - saying it as the team gave Bryan Price an opportunity to help guide the rebuilding process?

Former Enquirer Reds beat writer Zach Buchanan wrote in great detail about what Larkin was up to - working with young players at B-Lark University in Orlando - as he awaited an opportunity to manage for the first time in Major League Baseball. A very specific opportunity - with the Reds.

An excerpt from Buchanan's January Larkin feature:

For the present, the Reds legend wouldn’t spend his time any other way. But he has thought about his future in the game. And now, more than any time before, he feels the desire to manage. But only for the Reds. In 2013, he turned down an interview for a job managing the Detroit Tigers, saying that he wasn’t interested in the associated time commitment. But a year later, he accepted a chance to interview to be manager of the Rays. He’s a fan of his current workload – he travels two-and-a-half weeks out of every month during the season to work with players at the Reds’ various minor-league affiliates – but he admits his interest in managing is greater than it’s ever been. Still, he has eyes only for the Reds. “I only want to be in Cincinnati,” Larkin said. At any rate, the Reds currently have a manager in Bryan Price, whose name did not come up during Larkin’s 30-minute interview. Larkin may hope to be the Reds’ manager of the future, but he’s aware he’s in the present. “There’s more work to be done. That’s why I’m not ready for it now,” Larkin said. “There’s more work to be done, in my opinion, and hopefully I can be part of helping that work get done.”

Some would say that by qualifying it with "I’m not ready for it now," Larkin was being adequately respectful toward Price.

MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal sounds not so sure of that.

Here's what Rosenthal said Thursday on MLB Network about the possibility of Larkin taking over as manager as he discussed Bryan Price getting fired and the Reds' predicament:

Rosenthal: "Barry Larkin has made no secret of his desire to manage his former team, and yet that has rubbed some people in the organization the wrong way - that he was publicly campaigning with Bryan Price still in the job. So it remains to be seen whether Larkin ultimately will be the guy."

Along those same lines, Rosenthal also wrote about Larkin's effort for The Athletic, days before the Reds made the change:

Farrell joined the Reds in March to scout the pitching in the organization. Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, an all-time Reds great, told reporters in January he only wants to manage his former team. Neither, however, is necessarily the manager in waiting. According to sources, the Reds told Farrell they would not hire him if his intent was to replace Price. Some club officials, meanwhile, are exasperated with Larkin, believing he is campaigning for the job.

One thing that can be cleared up about Larkin that has been erroneously mentioned in several reports this week about him: that he has never managed. He has zero Major League Baseball managerial experience, but he has managed Team Brazil in the World Baseball Classic. It's unfair to say that he has zero managerial experience.

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