Dick Williams has resigned as the Cincinnati Reds‘ president of baseball operations after nearly 15 years with the team.
Williams cited spending time with his family as one of the primary reasons for his resignation.
The Reds said Nick Krall will remain in his current role as the team’s vice president and general manager.
“I don’t expect everyone to understand my choice, but my situation is unique,” Williams said, according to MLB.com. “I have a family business — other than the Reds — that also means a lot to me. I have four young kids that I need to spend more time with. I have had an exhilarating 15 years, and we have given our teams some great opportunities to win it all.”
The Reds announced Williams’ resignation Wednesday, one week after being eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild-card round — their first postseason appearance in seven years.
Williams will take a position with his aforementioned family business, North American Properties, according to the Reds.
“The ultimate prize has eluded us, and I harbor more disappointment than anybody can possibly imagine, but I have thrived on the thrill of the chase,” Williams said. “Now I look forward to chasing other goals and aspirations using the platform of our family business.”
Williams joined the Reds in November 2005 when the team’s current ownership group, led by CEO Bob Castellini, assumed control of the club. He was promoted to president of baseball operations in 2016.
The Reds reached the postseason four times under Williams and won NL Central Division titles in 2010 and 2012.
Williams was credited with strengthening the team’s scouting and farm system, implementing analytics and establishing a sports science and wellness department.
“Dick has an incredible baseball IQ, and his gift for innovation came at the right time in history,” Castellini said. “We are enormously proud of the contributions he has made to this franchise.”
Williams’ father is the Reds chairman and his uncle is the vice chairman in the current ownership group. He has a long family history with the organization. His grandfather, W. Joseph Williams Sr., was one of the principal owners in the group that bought the team in 1966 and owned the club through the Big Red Machine era.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.