The 2020-21 MLB offseason has been a slow-moving process through the first couple months, but the Washington Nationals made an impact move on Thursday. The Nationals acquired first baseman Josh Bell from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending the Bucs young pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean in return.
Crowe and Yean were the No. 3 and No. 6 prospects, respectively, in Washington's system. The Nats have paid a fairly steep price to address a position of need.
This is a clear win-now move for Washington, with general manager Mike Rizzo banking on Josh Bell's upside. Rizzo had previously indicated the Nats were after a corner outfielder or first baseman, and he now has a switch-hitting run-producer to follow Juan Soto in the lineup.
Bell was an All-Star in 2019, clubbing 37 homers to go with 116 RBI and a .936 OPS. The 28-year-old experienced sharp regression this past season, posting a mere .669 OPS and striking out in over 25 percent of his plate appearances. However, Bell had a more respectable .753 OPS in September and was seemingly beginning to string things together.
The Nationals are just a year removed from winning the World Series in 2019, but their window of contention is shrinking. Washington also has a relatively weak farm system, so giving up two top-10 guys to acquire Bell is far from insignificant.
On the plus side, Bell figures to benefit from hitting behind guys like Trea Turner and Soto in the batting order, and he is under club control through 2022. Bell is also projected to make $6 million in arbitration, so the Nationals could still have flexibility to pursue another bat in free agency.
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