Marlin Maniac
FanSided

A major trade the Miami Marlins need to make

By Neil Raymond|
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 03: Josh Bell #19 of the Washington Nationals celebrates his solo home run in the eighth inning against Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on July 3, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 03: Josh Bell #19 of the Washington Nationals celebrates his solo home run in the eighth inning against Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on July 3, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

With the trade deadkine fast approaching, it’s time for the red-hot Miami Marlins to start looking for some hitting help. No, I’m not talking about this trade or this one. There’s actually someone that I think would be perfect tfor the job: Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell. This would be an intra-division trade, but let’s take a look at why it’s a perfect one for The Fish…

Josh Bell is the middle of the order bat that the Miami Marlins need.

Thete is no reason for the Washington Nationals not to trade Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins. They’re not going to the playoffs and Bell will be a free agent at the end of the season. Can they sign him to an extension instead? Sure, but they can also just trade him now and then bring him back in the off-season.

Why do the Miami Marlins need Josh Bell? What about Garrett Cooper and Jesus Aguilar? Cooper has  1.5 WAR and a .315/.382/.472 batting line this season. He’s however injury-prone and can’t be fully trusted going forward. Aguilar has 0.1 WAR with a .248/.293/.405 batting line. An upgrade over Aguilar might not be such a bad idea.

Josh Bell in comparison to Cooper and Aguilar has 3.5 WAR with a .315/.398/.508 batting line. I would say that he’s quite an upgrade wouldn’t you?! If The Fish can get that production in our lineup, that would be exactly what we need to boost our lineup and get that third Wild Card spot.

What about Cooper and Aguilar?? Cooper can remain the first baseman, with the more defensively challenged Josh Bell moving to designated hitter. Aguilar could be moved to the bench or even flipped somewhere for a lottery ticket prospect.

What would it cost the Miami Marlins to acquire Josh Bell? Honestly probably not much. As good as he is, a bat-first first basemen are not in that high of a demand right now and lottery ticket type prospects should be enough to get the job done.

The Miami Marlins have a realistic shot at picking up the third Wild Card spot in the NL. Acquiring Josh Bell would go a long way towards accomplishing that.

Home/Marlins News

Schedule