The Diamondbacks have acquired first baseman Josh Bell from the Marlins, as per Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (hyperlinks to X). Miami positioned Bell on waivers two days in the past, and Mish studies that Arizona will ship money to the Marlins to among the roughly $5.9MM nonetheless owed to Bell for the rest of the 2024 season. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (by way of X) writes that the D’Backs will cowl $2.25MM of Bell’s remaining wage.
The transfer looks as if an prompt response to the indirect harm that pressured Christian Walker out of final night time’s sport. Deemed as left indirect tightness on the time, the truth that the D’Backs have rapidly pivoted to including a brand new first baseman signifies that Walker has some kind of a pressure that may require a visit to the injured listing. The Diamondbacks determine to offer an replace on Walker’s situation later right this moment, and given how indirect points can are inclined to linger, it wouldn’t be a shock if the remainder of Walker’s season may very well be in jeopardy.
Bell has now been traded on the deadline in every of the final three seasons. The primary baseman was dealt together with Juan Soto as a part of the blockbuster swap between the Nationals and Padres two years in the past, and in 2023, Bell was despatched from the Guardians to the Marlins for Kahlil Watson and Jean Segura.
Consistent with the moderately streaky nature of Bell’s profession, these two trades yielded very totally different outcomes for his new groups. Bell was having fun with a pleasant season with Washington in 2022 however struggled badly after the deal to the Padres; final season noticed Bell put up middling numbers for the Guardians however he then caught fireplace after becoming a member of the Marlins, serving to carry the Fish to a wild card berth.
Arizona can solely hope for the repeat of Bell’s 2023 turn-around, and in reality the veteran first baseman has ended his Miami tenure on a excessive notice. Bell has a 1.515 OPS and 5 homers over his final 33 plate appearances, after hitting a way more underwhelming .224/.288/.349 with 9 homers in his first 408 PA of the season. Whereas the Diamondbacks’ hand might have been considerably pressured by Walker’s harm, this current manufacturing from Bell gives some proof that he may be in one other of his turns from ice-cold on the plate to crimson sizzling.
The switch-hitting Bell figures to step proper into common first base obligation in Arizona. Although his splits are fairly even this season, Bell has carried out higher in opposition to lefties than in opposition to righties in recent times, so the D’Backs may look to make use of him in one thing of a platoon with a left-handed hitter like Pavin Smith, whose looks as if a superb candidate to be referred to as again as much as the majors when Walker is formally positioned on the IL. Smith, Kevin Newman, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have mixed for 28 innings of labor at first base this season, as Walker’s dominance on the place has left the D’Backs hardly ever in want of a backup plan.
Right now’s deal is the second commerce between the Marlins and Diamondbacks this week, as Arizona additionally picked up A.J. Puk in a separate swap. The Snakes had been primarily identified to be pitching assist even after Puk was acquired, although Walker’s harm naturally led to this surprising want at first base.
From Miami’s perspective, the workforce has now dealt Puk, Bell, Trevor Rogers, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. as a part of their deadline selloff, to not point out the Luis Arraez commerce earlier within the season that signaled the Marlins’ intention to rebuild. Getting a bit of money off the books for Bell is an honest return contemplating how he was struggling for a lot of the 12 months, and the Fish will certainly proceed to be busy in swinging extra offers earlier than right this moment’s 5pm CT deadline.
