Washington Nationals Fan Favorite Reveals Biggest Reason For His Return
The Washington Nationals made headlines right before the calendar turned to 2025 when they signed first baseman Josh Bell to a one-year deal after he spent a previous stint with the team in 2021 before being dealt at the deadline in the Juan Soto deal in 2022.
The nine-year veteran has frequently been on the move since being dealt from the Nationals and has had stints with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Miami Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bell is certainly far from the player he was before arriving to Washington, spending the first five years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was named an All-Star for the first time during a career 2019 season.
He is expected to serve as the Nationals designated hitter with the team having made a trade for Nathaniel Lowe a week before signing Bell.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, including Andrew Golden of the Washington Post, Bell spoke about how grateful he was for the chance to return to Washington and revealed the biggest reason why he sought out a reunion once his agent Scott Boras informed him of the team's interest.
"I said, ‘Hey, if you can make something happen, let’s do it,’" Bell said. "It’s definitely a blessing for me and my family to be able to put on the uniform, go back to spring training and get situated with those guys again...I felt the most empowered as a baseball player when I was playing with the Nats. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to come back.”
Between 2021 and 2022, Bell played in 247 games for the Nationals, with his 2021 season seeing the highest WAR of his career and best OPS and most home runs since his All-Star season with the Pirates in 2019. With 41 home runs over that year and half, Bell had a sustained run of success which he's struggled to replicate since then.
This past season, he began the year with the Marlins and played in 104 games before being shipped off to the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. Struggling to a .699 OPS and .239 average with his worst slugging percentage in five years, Bell seemed to figure it out once he got to Arizona.
Finishing the final 41 games of the season with a .796 OPS and .279 average with 5 home runs in 162 plate appearances, he showed a gear that likely inspired the Nationals to desire a return.
Now that he's thrilled to be back in a place where he feels at home, perhaps the 32-year-old Bell can turn back the clock to his old self in Washington.
