Phil Castellini, the Cincinnati Reds president and CEO, spoke publicly about the state of the franchise with media for the first time this year on Thursday (Oct. 1) and said his family has no intention of selling the team anytime soon.
Phil and his father, Bob Castellini, have held controlling interest in the Reds for the past 21 — mostly failed — seasons.
But no amount of fan outcry calling for the owners to sell, or even the record prices commanded in recent sales of the Angels and Padres, have compelled the family to consider that option, Phil Castellini said.
“There’s really just no focus at all on the selling of this team,” he said. “We haven’t accomplished what we set out to accomplish. There’s more work to be done.
“We respect and understand
the importance of this franchise to the city,” he added. “We respect our fans. They are incredibly baseball-high IQ fans. And I think they deserve better.
“I think this group of people has the ability to deliver what they deserve, and we want to continue until we get it.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds CEO Castellini says ‘no focus at all on selling’
