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Milwaukee Brewers Rumors: Reported Interest In Josh Bell

By Harrison Carter

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13: Josh Bell #19 of the Washington Nationals at bat against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of game two of a doubleheader at Nationals Park on July 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13: Josh Bell #19 of the Washington Nationals at bat against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of game two of a doubleheader at Nationals Park on July 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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As the August 2nd MLB trade deadline approaches, rumors are starting to swirl about potential deals that could happen. The Milwaukee Brewers have been mentioned to be in the running for various players at the deadline, such as Andrew Benintendi, but Monday a new name was mentioned to be a target for the Crew.

According to Andy Martino, a MLB Insider at SportsNet New York, the Milwaukee Brewers are pursuing Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell. 

"“One league source with knowledge of Bell’s market estimated that five teams were pursuing him, the Astros, Brewers and Mets among them.”"

Martino also says that the Nationals are motivated to trade Bell so that they can advance in trade talks revolving superstar Juan Soto.

Bell is a familiar face to Brewer fans, as he spent the first five years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was an all star in 2019 before getting traded to the Nationals in 2020. Bell has been a great hitter for the entirety of his career as he has a .825 career OPS. This year, Bell is hitting .305 and is slugging nearly .500 with 13 home runs.

There are a couple of things that are appealing about acquiring Bell. First, Bell is a switch hitter that could add versatility to the Milwaukee Brewers lineup. Unlike many switch hitters, Bell is almost equally as strong from both sides of the plate. Verse both lefties and righties this year, Bell is slugging exactly .496. Being able to hit for power from both sides of the plate is an impressive skill that not many switch hitters have.

Additionally, Bell is superb at putting the ball in play and not striking out. Currently, the Brewers strike out in 24% of all plate appearances, which is the 8th highest in the league. Bell strikes out just 13.5% of the time this year, which is in the 92nd percentile of all hitters.

A potential deal for Bell would almost certainly be a rental, as Bell will be an unrestricted free agent following this year. Bell’s contract combined with Rowdy Tellez being a productive player makes Bell an interesting fit with the Brewers. A trade for Bell would almost certainly not involve any top level prospects, but at the same time the demand for Bell may be fairly high around the league which could inflate the National’s asking price.

If the Brewers are looking to bolster their lineup, Josh Bell is the perfect way to boost the offense. A switch hitter that hits lefties and righties equally well, and who also puts up good at bats, walks at an above average rate, and hardly strikes out, would be a great fit to any team that is looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.

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