To the surprise of many, the Miami Marlins entered the 2023 MLB trade deadline as clear buyers. Amongst their many trades was landing Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians.

In acquiring Bell, the Marlins are attempting to address their seemingly constant need for offense. Miami ranks 27th in runs scored (439) and 28th in home runs (96). With Bell now at first base, the Marlins are looking for him to bring some pop to the lineup.

For Cleveland, trading Bell furthermore pointed to the Guardians punting the 2023 season with their focus towards the future. Bell's departure gave Cleveland a prospect with major potential moving forward.

The Marlins and Guardians are both headed in different directions, at least during the 2023 season. With their Josh Bell trade serving two separate purposes, how do both teams grade out?

Marlins Grade

At 57-51, the Marlins are 13 games back in the NL East. However, they're just half game out of securing a Wild Card spot. Miami decided to go for it at the trade deadline and bring in some reinforcements.

After acquiring Bell, the first baseman should hit towards the top of the lineup. Through 97 games with the Guardians this season, Bell hit .233 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI. While his batting average is down, the slugger still has his power stroke. Outside of the shortened 2020 season, Bell has hit 10+ home runs every year since 2017 and 15+ home runs in four of those seasons.

Currently, Jorge Soler leads the Marlins with 25 home runs. However, he is the only player with 15+ home runs this season and one of only four players to have 10+ round trippers.

Josh Bell might not be the All-Star caliber player he was back in 2019. However, he is still walking dynamite and could go yard on any pitch. The Marlins were in search of power at the deadline and found their first baseman in Bell.

 Grade: A-

Guardians Grade

The Guardians are only two games back in the AL Central at 53-55. However, they're only shot at the playoffs is the AL Central as they're out of the Wild Card race. While they could still compete with the Minnesota Twins, they didn't look much like contenders at the deadline.

Alongside Bell, Cleveland traded Aaron Civale to the Tampa Bay Rays. Bell has a player option for the 2024 season. Rather than let him walk in what could potentially be a losing season, the Guardians decided to cut ties.

In return, the Guardians received Jean Segura and prospect Khalil Watson. Watson is the crown jewel of the deal, as he now ranks as the 15th-best prospect in the Guardians' organization, via MLB Pipeline. He has spent the majority of the year at the Single-A level, hitting .206 with seven home runs, 22 RBI and 14 stolen bases over 58 games.

The only knock against the Guardians is not going for an AL Central title with it so in reach. However, it was clear that Cleveland wasn't going to compete for a World Series this year. Rather than let Bell just leave, the Guardians took a shot on Watson and are hoping for brighter days next season.

Grade: B+