Nationals Sign Josh Bell – MLB Trade Rumors

Josh Bell is returning to Washington, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the first baseman has signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Nationals. The 32-year-old Bell is represented by Boras Corporation.

From Nathaniel Lowe was just acquired last week to be the Nats’ new everyday first baseman, Bell likely now slots in as the first-choice designated hitter. Both the left-handed Lowe and the switch-hitting Bell have a fairly even career split, but Bell could step in at first base every now and then when Washington faces a left-handed pitcher, even if Lowe is a much better fielder. As a DH, Bell’s bat also brings a little more balance to a Nationals lineup that is heavy on left-handed swingers.

In a career defined by hot and cold spells, Bell’s previous stint in DC stands out as perhaps the most consistent stretch of his nine MLB seasons. The Nationals acquired Bell from the Pirates during the 2020-21 offseason, and Bell went on to hit .278/.363/.483 with 41 homers in 1,005 plate appearances from Opening Day 2021 until he was dealt to the Padres as part of Juan Soto blockbuster at the 2022 trade deadline.

Unfortunately for Bell and the Padres, his bat went cold after the deal, although his overall offensive output was enough to earn NL Silver Slugger honors at the DH position. That winter also led to a two-year, $33 million contract with the Guardians, but Bell didn’t fare particularly well in his first four months in Cleveland before being dealt again at the deadline, which sparked another streak while helping lead the Marlins to a playoff berth.

The pattern continued until last July’s deadline, when Bell once again found himself on the move from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks. Bell hit just .239/.305/.394 in 441 PAs for Miami last year, but his bat came back to life after the trade, when he hit .279/.361/.436 in 162 PAs for a team of Arizona who had temporarily lost their starting first baseman Christian Walker to the injured list.

The short-term nature of this latest contract leaves open the possibility that Bell could be dealt at his fourth consecutive trade deadline if the Nationals are not in contention. While Lowe is under referee control through the 2026 season, Bell and his colleague are free agents Michael Soroka were both signed to one-year contracts, as the Nationals appear to be somewhat hedging their bets on their availability to compete in 2025. The Nats have struggled through five straight losing seasons since winning the World Series in 2019, but with many members of the their young core now in the big leagues, there was speculation that Washington might be a little more aggressive this winter in firmly announcing the end of its rebuild.

That said, Bell’s signing is certainly a boost for a Nationals club that had trouble producing offense last year, particularly in the energy department. The Nats’ 135 home runs ranked 29th out of 30 teams and CJ Abrams (with 20 homers) was the only DC player who yarded more often than Bell (19 homers) in 2024.

With Bell and Lowe in the fold, improvement is expected from Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr.and a full season with top prospects James Wood AND Dylan Crewsthere are plenty of reasons to think the Nats could be a much more productive lineup. If everything works out and the team’s young pitching also takes a step forward, the Nationals could get back to winning baseball next year, and then perhaps start spending on bigger talent next offseason.

Bell’s career and strikeout rates have been consistently above average, while his barrel rates have been more inconsistent. His field-strike percentage dropped to 40.1% last season, slightly below league average and his lowest mark since the 2018 season. While there’s not much sign of decline at age 32 , itself, the big question about Bell is simply which version of the bruiser he will appear in, given that his production has swung back and forth so sharply in recent seasons. .

Now that Bell has signed, third base remains a target area for Washington as they attempt to take over the team Gleyber Torres switching positions from second base fell on deaf ears. The bullpen remains a clear area of ​​need, and there’s still plenty of time in the offseason for the Nationals to add a bigger name than Soroka as a clearer upgrade to the rotation.