The Miami Marlins have already made one major move ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline. Miami traded Jazz Chisholm to the New York Yankees on Saturday as they begin a fire sale. The Marlins could make more trades in the hours leading into Tuesday's deadline. However, they made a move on Monday involving trade candidate Josh Bell that did not see him move teams.
The Marlins placed Bell on waivers, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Should his $16.5 million contract go through waivers unclaimed, he will remain in Miami. Heyman further notes that he has not been designated for assignment and could still be traded by Miami before the MLB Trade Deadline.
The 31-year-old Texas native has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Marlins. Bell is currently slashing .239/.305/.394 with 14 home runs, 49 runs batted in, and a .699 OPS in nearly 400 plate appearances. Additionally, the veteran first basemen has a negative WAR through 104 games this season.
Josh Bell could be a buy-low trade candidate
At one point, Josh Bell was a good slugging option at first base. In 2019 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he hit 37 home runs and 116 RBI with a 2.9 WAR. A few years later, he went on to hit 27 home runs and 88 RBI with a 3.1 WAR following a trade to the Washington Nationals.
However, Bell has been in steady decline ever since. He has bounced around between the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, and the Marlins since the 2022 campaign. His time in Cleveland especially didn't go well as he recorded a .233/.318/.383 slash line in 97 games with a wRC+ of 96.
His struggles in Cleveland led to a trade to the Marlins last season. He did improve down the stretch and helped Miami make its first postseason appearance in a 162-game season since 2003. However, his second-half form did not carry over to 2024. And, as mentioned, the veteran first baseman is playing below replacement level this year.
Bell is owed a little under $6 million for the remainder of the season. As a result, it is unlikely a team claims that salary outright. Still, the Marlins could move the Texas native before the MLB Trade Deadline. It likely requires them to eat a chunk of his remaining salary. But there are contending teams that could target a buy-low first baseman such as Bell this summer.
The Marlins are likely to continue selling players between now and the deadline. Whether Josh Bell is among the names moved by then remains to be seen. In any event, Miami fans will certainly want to keep an eye on this situation as it develops over the next few days.
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