Mariners Trade Proposal: A deal for the Nationals Josh Bell

We can all agree that the Mariners could definitely use another slugger in their lineup. We even wrote about it a while ago, that getting another big bat was paramount to a chance at success in 2022. It’s why going after, arguably, the top bat that will be available is worth spending time on, and the Mariners should check with the Nationals about Josh Bell.

It does need to be noted that Josh Bell is a rental, as he will be a free agent after this season. It worked out perfectly for Bell and the Nationals, at least up to the point of this article, that he was able to sign on a prove-it one-year deal, produce, and get traded away to a contender while netting the Nationals something nice in return.

So far on the year, Bell has provided a 3.2 WAR, with a slash line of .310/.393/.502 with an OPS+ of 159. He has been a league-average defender at first but would move to DH if he came to the Mariners. He would provide the exact kind of pop that the Mariners have been looking for in the middle of their lineup, giving a big dose of protection to Julio and France.

So, what would a Mariners and Nationals deal for Josh Bell look like?

I enlisted the help of the fine folks over at Districk on Deck to work on a deal, and after some back and forth and a bit of discussion, this is what we came up with.

We talked about a couple of other players before settling on these two. Levi Stoudt, Sam Carlson, and Milkar Perez were all mentioned, but eventually were left out.

One big name, and one wild card that the Mariners recently acquired. And why not ship him back out? Jerry likes to trade and easily could’ve acquired Berroa in order to flip him later, knowing that he was getting great value in doing so. He’s been holding consistent with his high strikeout rate and has increased his value since being acquired by the Mariners.

Edwin Arroyo is the big one. A newly minted top-100 prospect in order to get a massive bat for the lineup. It hurts sending away a guy like that, especially one that is so young. But if the Mariners truly want to push this year, getting a bat like Bell would be worth it if he can continue that production.

Thinking of having Crawford, France, Julio, Bell, Haniger, Suarez, Winker, Raleigh, Frazier makes me pretty excited. It’s a lineup that could make a bunch of noise, especially if everyone is hitting to their potential. The Mariners are gonna have to outbid a good amount of teams, but for the premier rental bat on the market, it’s probably worth it.