Mark Gray breaks down the significance of Josh Bell’s presence within the Juan Soto trade.
Da Gambler pushes back against the notion that the American League is MLB’s toughest league top to bottom.
The days of forecasting, guessing and debating about player movement finally ended at the trading deadline on Tuesday as the deal between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres stole the headlines and news cycle.
It was no surprise to anyone that Juan Soto was on his way out of Washington after turning down a massive 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals. It wasn’t a question of when Soto was leaving as opposed to where he was going. With the Padres having a cache of young talent to offer the Nats, that was the tipping point to make the deal.
The deal, which has not yet been totally finalized at the time of publication, is as follows:
The San Diego Padres receive:
Outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell
The Washington Nationals receive:
Left-handed pitcher, Mackenzie Gore and outfielder, Robert Hassell III, Shortstop C.J. Abrams and Outfielder, James Wood. One more player to be named later.
Went on SportsCenter to talk about the Juan Soto blockbuster. We will have much, much more on our trade deadline special today from 4 to 6 p.m. on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WigOpc8fFU
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022
While Juan Soto is the undisputed headliner that was no surprise, it is a mild surprise that our MLBbro, Josh Bell was added in the deal even though we had monitored possible moves for over a month. MLBro.com had San Diego on the radar as one of Bell’s possible destinations.
MLBbro.com:
Speaking of Eric Hosmer, he is the reason that the deal is not officially complete yet. He rejected the trade with his no trade clause and either has to sign off on the deal or a third team has to be a part of the deal. Most recent reports have him waiving his no-trade clause and going to the Red Sox in a deal.
With Eric Hosmer out of the Juan Soto trade after rejecting a deal to Washington, the Boston Red Sox swooped in and will acquire him from San Diego, sources tell ESPN. The finances are unclear: Padres could pick up a chunk of money — or could send along a prospect with Hosmer.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022
Josh Bell Is The X-Factor
The undisputed jewel for right now in this deal is our MLBbro, Josh Bell. While Soto has put 21 balls in the seats with 46 RBI, he is hitting .an uncharacteristic 246 for the season, which makes Bell’s short-term contributions all the more impressive this season.
Our MLBbro is hitting a career high .301 with 14 homers and 57 RBI. The former 2019 All-Star has produced 127 dingers with 454 RBI over his career. The Padres may have collected the best hitter in the open market in a virtual steal. A change in mechanics and mindset this year allows him to be a better opposite field hitter while cutting down strikeouts.
"He's back to doing what he does, even better, at a higher clip…"@markdero7 dove into the details of Josh Bell's scorching start for the @Nationals.#MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/aqHitW3Y1Z
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 14, 2022
Now while San Diego’s odds of winning a World Series has shot through the roof, the Nationals sit at the bottom of the MLB standings and have officially started a total rebuild, having lost four of their last five games. That doesn’t mean Washington did not accomplish their short-term goal of getting young talent to develop.
Two MLBbro prospects are arriving in Washington by the names of C.J. Abrams and James Wood.
C.J. Abrams:
Abrams was San Diego’s top prospect and was ranked sixth in the MiLB rankings in 2021. After spending time in the Double A affiliate San Antonio Missions last year, he was called up this season and has impressed many with his defense and his willingness to use the entire field at the plate.
Our 21-year-old MLBbro has hitting slashes of .231/.280/.322 in 134 plate appearances. This small sample size should not be used as an indictment of his budding potential. The Nationals are very well known for their player development and Abrams should flourish with more opportunities on the field to finish the season.
James Wood:
This analysis is basically the minor league prospect version of the Juan Soto/Juan Bell analysis above. While C.J. Abrams is the coveted acquisition with unbridled potential, James Wood could be the diamond in the rough that could become a star in the future. Even though James is in the Single A ranks, he is tearing up the league with a hitting slash of .337/.453/.601 with 10 homers. This includes a three homer, seven steal stretch in 21 games after returning from a wrist injury.
Wood is a 6-foot-7 tower weighing 240 pounds with power, athleticism and speed that the Nationals front office can sell to its fanbase with comparisons to a famous player in New York named Aaron Judge.
He’s also the son of former University of Richmond basketball standout Kenny Wood.
Projections have the talented Wood ready for the big leagues in 2025, but don’t underestimate the selling point of this MLBbro. With Washington’s record and offensive fire sale trading away their two best contributors, the franchise may have a lot of explaining to do on what their plans are for the future.
As the MLB season heads into July, the excitement will rise because all chatter will be directed at trade candidates being on the move to possible contenders for a long postseason run. That will open up debates not only for the contenders whose fan base dissect what that player brings to the organization, but for the non-contenders who have to sell to the fans why they had to part with top talent to acquire future assets or plainly just to save money.
For the Washington Nationals, sadly this situation is more about the latter as opposed to the former.
The Nationals should already be making plans for their direction for the future. Now that the team is firmly entrenched in last place of the NL East, two names will be on the minds of contending teams through the trade deadline on August 2nd. Those names are Juan Soto and MLBbro Josh Bell.
If the contract negotiations between Bell and the Nationals are any indication, our MLBbro probably will be on the move to another team in August. If Washington wanted to lock up Josh they would have offered an extension in the offseason instead of barely avoiding arbitration with a one year, $10 million deal.
Washington’s GM Mike Rizzo talked about the ongoing situation during spring training from the team’s perspective via SB Nation.
“Josh Bell is a guy that we really like, we made a trade for,” Rizzo said. “We’re concentrating on seeing if we can get something done with Juan Soto first. Like I said before, he’s our No.1 priority, and we’re going to try to attack that one before we move on to anybody else.”
Josh Bell is due to become a free agent after the season and his productive season has only increased his market value for the future. If the Nationals do not want to commit to a long-term deal for Bell, it would behoove them to trade him to a contender to get some assets for a continuous rebuild while the asking price is at a premium and not let him walk at the end of the season for nothing.
Our MLBbro overcame a slow start by making a simple adjustment to his hitting mechanics to get in a groove in June to the tune of seven home runs and 17 RBI in a 23-game stretch.
How A Simple Adjustment In Hitting Mindset Led To MLBbro Josh Bell’s Hot Streak
While his talents might not be needed at first base at his next stop, his .309 average (which leads ALL MLBbros) coupled with 11 homers and 46 RBI, will find him in the DH slot of a playoff contender as a rental for the stretch run.
Let’s take a look at three teams that are in need of Josh Bell’s services.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
It’s highly unlikely that the Dodgers will be putting Bell at first base after backing up the Brinks truck to secure high-priced free agent Freddie Freeman. However, with the injury to Mookie Betts and the underwhelming production coming out of the DH spot, Josh Bell will be a perfect short-term solution as the Dodgers try to get back to the World Series, a goal that has become an annual tradition for the last decade.
San Diego Padres:
Why did MLBbro.com mention the Los Angeles Dodgers first? Because they have their issues at the top of the NL West. Those issues have allowed the San Diego Padres to move up to 1.5 games out of first place, making this a division a dogfight. The Padres realize that the Dodgers have no issues opening up the bankbook to get the best players on the market no matter the cost. Josh Bell can add some offensive power to compete with their loaded division rivals.
Like the Dodgers, the Padres have a quality first baseman in Eric Hosmer, but they need help in the DH spot.
Minnesota Twins:
Josh Bell could find some time at first base if he moved to the Minnesota Twins. The Twins sit at the top of the AL Central thanks to a high-powered offense and a starting pitching rotation that has exceeded expectations.
However, with Miguel Sano on the 60-day injured list after surgery to his left knee for a torn meniscus, Bell can fill in seamlessly at first while Luis Arraez can move to another position in the infield. Whether Sano comes back to his regular position in the field or not, the Twins can place him in the DH spot where, like the other two teams, he’s underperformed.
Sure, there will certainly be other teams that will make a run for Josh Bell, but that is more about our MLBbro’s outstanding run at the plate this season more than a Nationals salary dump. Washington will be looking for young prospects (preferably a pitcher) in exchange for a 2022 rental in Bell.
The team that wins the Josh Bell sweepstakes hope that he is the big bat that will get them over the hump.
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