Pirates Trade Josh Bell To Nationals For Prospects

In a noticeably slow moving off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have come to an agreement to trade first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals. A nice pick up for the 2019 world champions, but they still have some work to do.

In 2018, Josh Bell was considered to be an emerging star that had plenty room to get better defensively. Out of nowhere, his performance fell off a cliff as he hit just .226 last year.

Most importantly, Bell is a cheap option that the Nationals can control contractually so they can figure out the rest of that roster. Looming contract extensions with star shortstop Trea Turner are expected to be a problem, so a cheap answer at first base is a solid move.

The deal sends a couple pitching prospects to Pittsburgh that no one's really heard of. Pittsburgh basically gave up on Josh Bell after a short season to forget. Typical Pirates.

Expect this trade to be the first of many from the Nationals, and for our entertainment's sake--we hope the big names get involved.