Could New York Yankees Revisit Trade With Surging Former All-Star?

The New York Yankees have been linked to first basemen in trade talks, could there be another value option at the MLB deadline?

May 13, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Miami Marlins first base Josh Bell (9) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees are expected to be buyers as they look to improve their offense even more ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

New York has been linked to a few different players at first base, with Anthony Rizzo being inconsistent during his time with the team.

One of the players they had previously been linked to is Miami Marlins slugger Josh Bell. He has had a complete season turnaround in the past few weeks and has become a much more attractive trade option.

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.