The Washington Nationals have won three of their last four games, but they are still woefully out of the playoff race. They should be sellers at the trade deadline, even with interim GM Mike DeBartolo in place. One of the best hitters on the team in recent weeks has turned himself into a prime trade candidate. Jessica Camerato of MLB.com spoke with Nationals DH Josh Bell about his hot streak heading into the MLB trade deadline

“I think I was trying to do too much too early, and that's the name of the game.” Bell told Camerato, “I felt like I was one swing away — and I felt that way for 150 at-bats. I can't take them back now, but I’m just trying to salvage what I can.”

The beginning of the 2025 season was horrendous for Bell. He was hitting .183 with a .613 OPS in his first 60 games, through June 15th. Since then, he has been hitting .316 with a .910 OPS in 28 games. It has not translated to Nationals wins, 11-17 in those 28 games, but it could translate to a solid deadline return.

“I just tried to lower my launch angle, tried to focus on squaring up the ball as best as I can, tried to get my OPS over .600 — so, I’ve done that,” Bell continued. “Now I'm fighting for .700. We'll see where we go from there.”

Bell's homer on Tuesday got him over .700 OPS on the season, which has been a constant through his career. His 2020 season with a dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates team is the only year in which he ended with less than a .700 OPS. The MLB trade deadline should be kind to sellers and could lead to a big-time Josh Bell trade.

The Nationals should trade the big switch-hitter before the MLB trade deadline. Could he help the Milwaukee Brewers add pop for the postseason?

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