ESPN’s Buster Olney believes the Blue Jays are an ideal destination for Josh Bell
1 year ago
Who cares if the calendar just turned May, we want rumours, and we want it now.
Well, this is actually speculation, but Buster Olney believes that first baseman, Josh Bell, would make a perfect fit for the Blue Jays. That begs the question, would it?
According to Sporttrac, the 29-year-old Josh Bell will be a free agent at the end of the season, meaning that the Nationals have no control over where he goes. This cheapens his value when it comes to the trade deadline.
What about his bat though, is it worth it?
Bell is a switch hitter, and has a career slash line of .265/.352/.471 with 116 homers in 2858 plate appearances with a career wRC+ of 117. This season, he’s slashing .366/.464/.549 with three homers in 99 plate appearances.
Moreover, he has a career 11.9% BB% with a rather low K% of 18.5%. This season, his BB% is an astounding 14.1% with a K% of 12.1%.
Like Olney points out, the Jays do need balance in their lineup, and throughout his career, Bell has been better from the left side of the plate. As a lefty, he has a .274/.358/.487 slash line with 86 homers. He has a K% of 18.4% and a BB% of 12.8% from the left side of the plate.
Compare this to him batting righty, and we can see his .239/.333/.424 slash line doesn’t compare. Furthermore, he has a K% of around 19% and a BB% of 12.6%, which is around the same.
If the Jays were to do this, they would be trading for a left handed slugger(37 homers in 2019, 27 in 2021) who’d usually play DH, but would also be the backup first baseman, which the Jays need.
Personally, I’d be interested in him, but the price has to be right. Washington will likely be sellers at the deadline, meaning they would be looking for prospects. With an expiring contract, I doubt the Jays would give up one of their top 10 prospects for a backup first baseman/designated hitter.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D. Hopefully more rumours pop up, as they’re fun to write about.
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