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Even though they lost to the San Diego Padres in their series finale on May 26, the New York Yankees are still among the greatest teams in baseball.
Their 37-18 record has given them a two-game advantage over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.
For the stretch drive, the Bombers will probably add at the trade deadline of July 30. Could they have Josh Bell, the slugger for the Miami Marlins, among their haul?
Sports Illustrated’s Dylan Sanders believes general manager Brian Cashman should look into it. especially after a sluggish start, Bell’s bat has caught fire.
With 223 plate appearances in 2024, the left-handed slugger is batting.228/.311/.355. In 92 May plate appearances, those numbers have increased to.296/.370/.457, though.
According to Spotrac, Bell is now making $16.5 million in the second season of a two-year, $33 million contract.
Sanders believes it won’t take much for a team to wrest him away from the Marlins due to that plus some patchy offensive output over the years, making him a “value option” for interested teams.
Bell Was Previously Associated with the Yankees This Season
Miami was an obvious early-season sale given their 6-24 start to 2024. During his first 221 at-bats, Anthony Rizzo has provided New York with sporadic output (.697 OPS). It might not be a bad idea to find another power hitter who could play first base.
Bell has been connected to the Yankees this season on multiple occasions.
On April 17, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed the Bombers as one of Bell’s “perfect landing spots.” Kelly stated, “Bell might also be a good fit for the Yankees if Rizzo and/or Giancarlo Stanton don’t get hot.”
This season, Stanton has had 187 plate appearances, batting.797 with 13 home runs and 29 RBI.
After two months of play, his performance has been getting better. But in March/April (.737) and May (.636 in 90 plate appearances), Rizzo’s monthly OPS dropped.
For Bell, Being Traded Before the Deadline Would Be Unusual
For players, being traded at any point is definitely an odd experience. When that occurs midseason, the weirdness probably increases dramatically. However, Bell has become accustomed to it over the past few years.
Since the beginning of 2022, he has been a member of four teams and has been dealt at the last two deadlines. At the 2022 trade deadline, he was traded by the Washington Nationals to the Padres.
That winter, he signed a contract with the Cleveland Guardians, who traded him to the Marlins prior to the 2023 deadline.
He also performed very differently in each of these scenarios. After joining the Nats, he hit.301,.384, and.493 before moving to San Diego. There, he had difficulty and only slashed.192/.316/.271.
The next year, his output reversed. With the Guardians, he had an OPS of.701, but in the last games, he surpassed that with Miami to get an OPS of.818.
Is this simply the nature of baseball, or did Bell pick up any tips after being traded for the first time in 2022? It’s difficult to say, but this season the left-handed hitter might have another opportunity to validate one of these hypotheses.
Before Opening Day in 2025, he’ll probably need to locate yet another new place to live, wherever he ends up.
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