Potential Trade Landing Spot for $33 Million Switch Hitter Named by the Yankees
Thanks to Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe’s unexpected contributions as well as Juan Soto’s offensive prowess, the New York Yankees have risen to the top of the AL East to begin the season.
However, three-time All-Star veteran Anthony Rizzo has not demonstrated the kind of slugging ability that the Cubs had hoped for, with his career slash line of just.240/.313/.307 in 75 at-bats. His on-base percentage is at its lowest point since his rookie campaign, and if he is unable to improve his offensive output, the organization may consider trading for a first baseman to aid at the position.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, who projects the optimum landing destinations for MLB’s top trade targets, suggested that the Yankees and the Miami Marlins trade for slugger Josh Bell in order to get Bell as a replacement for Rizzo.
Bell, who is in the last season of a two-year, $33 million contract, is likely to be traded this summer given the Marlins’ dismal start in 2024, according to Kelly. Bell might also be a good fit for the Yakees in the event that Giancarlo Stanton and/or Rizzo don’t get hot.
Josh Bell, a former Silver Slugger, might provide the New York Yankees a midseason boost.
Bell is a.258/.346/.451 hitter in nine big-league seasons. He was nominated for an All-Star team in 2019 and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2022. With two home runs and seven RBI thus far in 2024, his bat does not appear to be an improvement over Rizzo’s, but the switch hitter has a history of giving teams a boost in the middle of the season, and his bat also got off to a slow start last season before picking up some steam.
Josh Bell has played for several of the sport’s lower-budget teams, and Kelly noted that Bell has frequently been on the losing end of those teams’ wage cuts when they’re not winning. Bell’s bat is extraordinarily cool to start the season for the second year in a row. However, in the second half of 2023, he recorded an OPS just below.800, which enabled the offensively challenged Marlins to qualify for the postseason for just the fourth time in team history.
Talks for a midseason trade between the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees appear to be open.
The Yankees appear to be considering midseason changes if general manager Brian Cashman sees a chance for the team to improve as they try to put a dismal 2023 season behind them and make the playoffs this year.
The Marlins, for their part, seem willing to take advantage of any chance to reduce salary and strengthen their roster going forward, especially considering that they have already dealt seasoned player Jon Berti to the Yankees.
“No, considering that the Miami Marlins have already traded one veteran player and considered offers for some of their top players, it is not too soon to see the team as a trade deadline seller,” Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin wrote for The Athletic. “First-year general manager Peter Bendix almost certainly will be more inclined to dismantle his roster if their play does not improve.”
The Yankees may face competition at the deadline if they decide to pursue Bell. Kelly mentioned the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins as potential destinations for the slugger; however, it appears that the Cubs have found their current and future first baseman in Michael Busch.
Leave a Reply