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Josh Bell, 1B (Miami Marlins)
Why trade for Josh Bell, when you had Ty France at home? Yeah, that was my terrible try at a joke. But in all seriousness, if you compare the slash lines of Josh Bell (.239/.305/.394.699 with an OPS+ of 92) and Ty France (.223/.312/.350/.662 with an OPS+ of 94), they are almost identical. The only real difference is the OPS< which Bell leads by almost .040 points.
Bell and France may be similar, but they do have a distinct difference: power. Josh Bell may not hit for average like he did a few years ago, but he still has plenty of power in that bat. He has hit 14 home runs, 18 doubles and a triple. Compare those to Ty France's 8 home runs, 14 doubles and no triples, and you can now spot the difference. France was let go because he couldn't hit for any power, or contact, but Bell can still hit for power.
Like France, Bell was placed on waivers by the Marlins last week. As of writing this, he is still active on the roster for the Marlins. It is unlikely that Bell will be claimed by anyone, so the Marlins and Mariners could still work out a trade once he officially clears waivers. Bell exercised his player option for $16,500,000 earlier this offseason. He will be a free agent after this season.
Josh Bell's 3-run blast gives the @Marlins the lead! pic.twitter.com/02l95dtxfA
— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2024
While I would much rather the Mariners pay the price for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from the Blue Jays, Bell would be a decent consolation prize for the Mariners. He is a switch hitter, who hits right-handed pitching (.256/.325/.441/.766) much better than left-handed pitching (.219/.281/.342/.623). He could platoon with Tyler Locklear at first, with Locklear sitting against righty's.
Bell is a true "Low risk" type player. If he doesn't perform, the Mariners are off the hook for him financially after this season. If he performs well, then you get that performance the Mariners have needed since 2022 at first base. Bell will turn 32 years old this August, and he for sure has seen his best seasons behind him. But given the choice to roll out a rookie who strikes out 40+% of the time, or a veteran who can still hit for power, give me the vet 100% of the time.