Seattle Mariners: 5 offseason trade targets
Ed Stein
|
Jan 18, 2022
Josh Bell, Washington Nationals
2021 – Slash line .261/.347/.476 with 27 home runs, 88 RBI, and 75 runs scored in 498 at-bats.
Contract Status
There is one-year left on Josh Bell‘s contract for $9M. The 29-year-old is free to leave after next season.
Pros
- Bell is a switch hitter who can play first base or one of the corner outfield positions.
- Career .816 OPS
- His 27 Home runs and 88 RBI in 2021 come very close to matching Kyle Seager’s production.
- In his five-year MLB career, Bell has never played for a good team. Seattle should be a playoff contender, and he’s in a contract year. That adds up to a very motivated player.
- A strong hitter from the left side, Bell is not as good from the right, but he doesn’t wilt either. In other words, he’s a tough pitching matchup.
- The Washington Nationals are in full rebuild mode. They would love to get their hands on some of the Seattle Mariners’ prospects.
Cons
- A free agent at the end of the season, Bell is essentially a one-year rental.
- How motivated is Washington motivated to trade him in the offseason? Do they want to gamble on him having a good first half and holding another team hostage at the deadline?
- In Seattle, Bell likely plays first base most of the time. That isn’t good on two fronts. First, he is a poor defensive player. Second, it moves France, who is good defensively at first, to third base for the season.
A final thought on Josh Bell
Of this group, Bell is the best hitter and a switch hitter at that, but by far the worst fielder. Where is the trade-off point, and what do the Mariners part with to get him?
Next: Page 6 – An aging veteran
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