Washington Nationals Slugger Could Be Traded for Fourth Straight Summer
The Washington Nationals are off to a slow start once again in 2025, and this appears to be another year that will result in a record well under .500.
Coming into the campaign, there was a lot of hope that the team could take a significant step forward this season. However, despite some players performing well, this is still a roster that appears to be a couple of years away.
While the rebuild has taken time, it has resulted in some good talent. James Wood is emerging into a superstar in his first full year. Furthermore, pitchers MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker are establishing themselves as front-end starters. However, they are still waiting for some other young talent to emerge.
With some needs this past offseason and a desire to improve, Washington signed numerous veterans to one-year deals in order to hopefully help improve the team and at the very least provide them with some trade bait this summer.
One player who might be moved this summer is veteran Josh Bell. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the possibility that he will be traded for the fourth straight year.
“He signed a one-year, $6 million deal to return to the Nats in the summer likely aware that there was a real shot he'd be traded for the fourth consecutive summer.”
Bell being traded in the summer has been almost as much of a guarantee as the seasons changing the last couple of campaigns. Back in 2022, he was part of the Juan Soto deal to the San Diego Padres, and has been subsequently traded the last two summers as well.
As a veteran slugger on a one-year deal, he will once again be a prime candidate to be dealt.
The 32-year-old is off to a slow start this campaign, slashing .133/.257/.267 with two home runs and eight RBI in 17 games.
While the early-season struggles have helped contribute to the struggles of the offense for Washington, Bell will likely turn it around.
In 2023 with the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks, he slashed .249/.319/.405 with 19 home runs and 71 RBI.
As a switch hitter, teams clearly value what he can bring to the plate from both sides.
As the year progresses for the Nationals, they will likely evaluate where they are come the summer. However, more than likely they won’t be in a position to contend, and moving the veteran first baseman will make sense.
Hopefully, he is performing a bit better to help sweeten the return, but he will certainly be a name worth monitoring.
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Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.