Miami Marlins Trade Deadline Additions Josh Bell, Jake Burger Remain Red-Hot
The Miami Marlins reshaped their infield by bringing in first baseman Josh Bell and third baseman Jake Burger at this year's trade deadline, and those moves have paid off right away.
The Cleveland Guardians traded Bell to the Marlins on Aug. 1, taking veteran Jean Segura and minor leaguer Kahlil Watson back in return. Not long after, the Chicago White Sox sent Burger to Miami in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Jake Eder.
Bell and Burger officially joined the Marlins' lineup on Aug. 2, and they have appeared in all 11 games for their new team since then.
Burger has played exclusively at third base in that span, while Bell has split time at first base and designated hitter with Yuli Gurriel and Jorge Soler, respectively. Neither has made an error in the field to this point.
The pair has also been mashing at the plate since first donning Marlins uniforms.
Bell is hitting .310 with four home runs, nine RBI, two doubles, six walks and a 1.039 OPS. Burger is batting .317 with one home run, six RBI, four doubles, three walks and an .879 OPS.
The two corner infielders have combined for a 0.7 WAR across less than two weeks of action in Miami.
Bell's batting average as a Marlin is 77 points higher than his batting average as a Guardian, and his OPS is 338 points higher. As for Burger, his batting average is 103 points above his mark in Chicago from earlier this season, while his OPS is 73 points higher.
It took a bit of time for the Marlins to turn Bell and Burger's production into wins, despite the team picking up an extra-inning victory in their debut. The duo combined to go 6-for-9 with two walks and two RBI that night against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Marlins went on to lose five games in a row, though, knocking them 1.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot by Aug. 7.
Since then, however, Miami has won four of five, taking back-to-back series against the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees. The Marlins hold sole possession of the third NL Wild Card spot with 43 games to play, and FanGraphs gives them a 45.5% chance of making the postseason.
The new-look Marlins and their red-hot additions are set to open up a three-game series with the Houston Astros on Monday. First pitch from Miami is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.
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