ST. LOUIS -- Near the end of a 2023 season in which the Reds have been surprise contenders, Nick Krall was promoted on Friday from general manager to president of baseball operations.

Assistant GM Brad Meador was also promoted to senior vice president and GM. 

"I’m just really excited with the people in this organization that have done tireless work the last couple of years to get us to this fpoint," Krall said at Busch Stadium. "Hopefully we can keep moving forward.”

Krall, who had been GM since 2018 and the head of baseball operations for Cincinnati since October 2020, received a contract extension for an unspecified length. 

The promotions bring added stability to the club, which signed manager David Bell to a three-year extension in July. 

“The continuity is great," Krall said. "You see a lot of great people doing really good things in this organization, whether it’s bringing in talent, developing the talent [or] hoping to propel us in the big leagues.”

Krall oversaw a painful rebuilding program last year that involved the trades of several veterans like Luis Castillo, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suárez and Sonny Gray, among others.

Those deals brought in current rookies Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte, Brandon Williamson and Connor Phillips along with some prospects still in the Minor Leagues.

The Reds finished with a 62-100 record in 2022 and weren't expected to be a postseason factor in '23. But the club started contending ahead of schedule, with 16 players making their Major League debuts this season -- including former top prospect Elly De La Cruz along with Matt McLain, Encarnacion-Strand, Williamson and Marte.

“We’re just trying to build through scouting and player development," Krall said. "That’s been our whole focus, to continue to build up our farm system to get guys that can produce at the Major League level and continue to build a good Major League team.”

As for the division of responsibilities, there won't be many dramatic changes.

“It’s trying to get [Meador] a little bit more with the Major League team and disperse some other things at the lower levels," Krall said.

Krall, 45, is in his 21st season in the Reds' organization. He was originally hired in 2003 to oversee the team's advance scouting preparation. Through the years, he's moved up to assistant director of baseball operations, director of baseball operations and assistant GM.

On May 10, 2018, Krall became general manager. In October 2020, after Dick Williams stepped down as president, Krall became the head of baseball operations while maintaining his GM title.

Meador, 48, is in his 14th year in the organization, the last two as vice president and assistant GM. Before that, he was director of amateur scouting and oversaw the annual MLB Draft for the club. He joined the Reds' scouting department in 2009 after spending 10 years at the University of Cincinnati as a recruiting coordinator and associate head coach.