Could San Francisco Giants Trade For Surging Former All-Star?

The San Francisco Giants could be a landing spot for a former All-Star ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

May 20, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Vidal Brujan (17) dumps a Gatorade cooler over first baseman Josh Bell (9) after winning the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at loanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants could use some help on offensive side of the ball as they have fought back into the race for a Wild Card spot.

One of the weakest parts of the lineup this season has been designated hitter spot. San Fransisco brought in Jorge Soler and the signing hasn't worked out. Even outside of Soler at DH, they could use another bat for the middle of their lineup and figure it out from there.

One of hottest players in baseball over the last couple of weeks has gone under-the-radar given that he plays for the Miami Marlins. Josh Bell is expected to be traded at the deadline and could be just what the Giants need.

Bell has turned what was a nightmare season into being what could be an attractive trade piece for a team that needs another bat in their lineup.

On the season, the switch-hitter is slashing .228/.312/.358. Those numbers leave a bit to be desired. During the beginning stretch of the season when Miami was 6-24, he was struggling heavily as was everyone on the roster. As the team has seemingly hit their stride over the last two weeks, Bell has turned things around.

In the month of May, Bell is slashing .296/.370/.457. He’s hitting the ball much harder, a near 10% raise in hard-hit rate from April to May. Despite his walk rate going down and strikeout rate slightly rising, he’s having much more success at the plate and is looking much more like the player that the league has seen over the past couple of seasons. The reality for what he will likely be is somewhere in the middle of the two halves of his year so far, which is a fine player and good addition.

Bell has become a trade deadline regular. He’s already played for five teams since 2020 and has been traded each of the last two seasons. It makes sense, though, as he has ended up on non-competitive teams and a power-hitting switch-hitter will always have interest from contenders at the deadline.

The biggest problem with the 31-year-old is his contract. He’s on the books for $16.5 million this year, which is expensive for a streaking player. The deal ends after this season, so it is a rental. When the Marlins traded away Luis Arraez earlier this season, though, they still took on the brunt of his money for 2024. This will likely be brought up in negotiations for Bell.

Given his uneven year at the plate and high price tag, he’ll likely be relatively cheap in terms of the prospects that it will take to acquire him. It’ll likely take a middle-of-the-road bat or two to acquire him.