Cleveland Guardians Trade Slugger Josh Bell to Miami Marlins, Cut Jean Segura
The Cleveland Guardians have traded first baseman Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran infielder Jean Segura and shortstop prospect Kahlil Watson, the teams announced Tuesday.
The deal was agreed upon just before the MLB trade deadline, which struck at 6 p.m. ET.
Upon the completion of the deal, the Guardians announced they would be releasing Segura, who was hitting .219 with a .556 OPS and -1.7 WAR in 2023. The 33-year-old former All-Star will hit the open market with two months left in the season.
Bell is on the move for the second deadline in a row after going from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres alongside outfielder Juan Soto in 2022. The 30-year-old slugger signed a one-year, $16.5 million contract with the Guardians in December, although he has a player option for another year at $16.5 million.
The first baseman is putting up near-career-lows across the board in 2023, hitting .233 with 11 home runs, 48 RBI and a .701 OPS.
Bell started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, suiting up as a major league regular from 2016 to 2020. During his time in Pittsburgh, Bell averaged 25 home runs and 91 RBI per 162 games while batting .261 with an .815 OPS. The Dallas, Texas, native finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, then made the All-Star Game in 2019.
The Pirates traded Bell to the Nationals in late 2020. Across his one-and-a-half seasons in the nation's capitol, Bell hit 41 homers with 145 RBI, a .278 batting average and an .846 OPS, earning a Silver Slugger in 2022.
Bell will now join a Miami squad that is 57-50 heading into August. The Marlins are one of three teams tied for the third and final NL Wild Card spot, joining the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers behind the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
39-year-old Yuli Gurriel and 32-year-old Garrett Cooper have combined to start 102 of 107 games at first base for the Marlins, but Cooper was flipped to the Padres upon Bell's arrival. Miami also swung a deal for Chicago White Sox third baseman Jake Burger on Tuesday, giving them an immediate power-hitting replacement for Segura in the lineup.
While Watson was the Marlins' No. 11 prospect at the time of the Bell trade, he ranked No. 6 in their system at the end of 2022. The middle infielder, who is expected to reach the majors in 2025, is a career .234 hitter with 19 home runs, 76 RBI, 34 stolen bases and a .743 OPS in 157 minor league games.
Watson is set to join Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martínez and Angel Genao as the infielders ranked towards the top of the Guardians' farm system. In Miami, Watson was stuck behind Yiddi Cappe, Jordan Groshans and Xavier Edwards.
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