The New York Yankees may have lost their series finale on May 26 to the San Diego Padres, but they remain one of baseball’s top teams. They lead the Baltimore Orioles by two games in the American League East with a 37-18 record. The Bombers are poised to add at the July 30 trade deadline for the stretch push. Could they land Miami Marlins slugger Josh Bell?
Dylan Sanders of Sports Illustrated believes that could be something General Manager Brian Cashman pursues. Especially after Bell’s bat caught fire following a poor start. In 2024, the left-handed slugger has hit.228/.311/.355 in 223 plate appearances. However, in 92 May plate appearances, those averages increased to.296/.370/.457.
Bell is in the second season of a two-year, $33 million contract and presently earns $16.5 million, according to Spotrac. Given his erratic offensive productivity over the years, Sanders believes it won’t take much for a team to entice him away from the Marlins, making him a “value option” for interested clubs.
Bell was linked to the Yankees before this season.
Miami’s 6-24 start in 2024 made them clear early-season sellers. Meanwhile, Anthony Rizzo has produced inconsistently for New York in his first 221 plate appearances (.697 OPS). Finding another power bat who can play first base may not be a bad idea.
This is not the first time Bell has been linked with the Yankees this season. On April 17, Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly identified the Bombers as one of Bell’s “ideal landing spots”. “Bell could also be a fit for the Yankees if Rizzo and/or Giancarlo Stanton don’t heat up,” Kelly stated.
Stanton has an OPS of.797 after 187 plate appearances this season, with 13 home runs and 29 RBI. His performance has improved over the past two months of play. However, Rizzo’s monthly OPS fell in March/April (.737) and May (.636 in 90 plate appearances).
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Being traded at the deadline would be nothing new for Bell.
Being traded at any time is definitely an unusual event for footballers. That oddity will most likely increase when it occurs in the middle of the season. But Bell has become used to it over the last few years.
He has played with four different teams since the beginning of 2022 and has been traded at each of the last two deadlines. He was traded from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres before the 2022 season ended. After signing with the Cleveland Guardians that winter, they traded him to the Marlins before the 2023 deadline.
His performance in each of these scenarios differed dramatically. He hit.301/.384/.493 with the Nationals before moving to San Diego. He struggled there, scoring only.192/.316/.271. His output shifted the next year. He had a.701 OPS with the Guardians, but that increased to.818 with Miami down the stretch.
Could this be attributable to baseball being baseball, or did Bell learn something after his first move in 2022? It’s impossible to say, but the left-handed hitter may get another chance to prove one of these hypotheses correct this season. Wherever he ends up, he’ll most likely have to find another new home before Opening Day in 2025.
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