CLEVELAND — When the Guardians signed Josh Bell as a free agent this past offseason, they were relying on him to bring power to a lineup that had finished second-to-last in the league in home runs in 2022.
That did not happen, and now, Cleveland has decided to cut bait.
The Guards have sent Bell to the Miami Marlins in a deal completed just before Major League Baseball's 6 p.m. trade deadline on Tuesday. In exchange, the Cleveland will receive prospect Kahlil Watson as well as the contract of infielder Jean Segura, but team President Chris Antonetti says the club will be releasing him.
A former All-Star and Silver Slugger, Bell arrived in Cleveland with a career OPS+ of 120 and three separate seasons of 26 homers or more. The 30-year-old was given a $16.5 million contract for 2023, as well as an additional player option year for the same amount.
Yet despite hope for the middle of the batting order, Bell ended up slashing a disappointing .233/.318./.383 with just 11 home runs in 97 games. His current OPS+ of 96 is the second-lowest of his career, and to add insult to injury, he was a net negative defender at first base.
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Antonetti acknowledged Bell's performance didn't live up to expectations. However, he did say it was "not for a lack of work" on Bell's part.
"I'm not sure there's a better teammate or worker than Josh," Antonetti said of Bell's time with the coaching staff. "I think Josh showed signs of being a really good offensive player, but he had a tough time maintaining that momentum for any long stretch."
While Antonetti wished Bell good luck in Miami and expressed confidence in his ability to turn things around, his attention is now focused on Watson, who will report to High-A Lake County in the coming days. A first-round draft pick in 2021, the Marlins' No. 11 overall prospect is batting just .206 with seven homers for the Beloit Sky Carp this season, but the 20-year-old shortstop and second baseman has stolen 14 bases and sports a respectable .337 on-base percentage.
"He's a really athletic, dynamic player who's got a great set of skills," Antonetti said of Watson. "Can really impact the ball, he can run. ... We're excited to add him to our system."
But there have also been some maturity issues, particularly when it comes to a 2022 incident that saw Watson gesture towards an umpire with his bat as if it were a gun. Antonetti called Watson's behavior "a work-in-progress," but believes it can change for the better.
"Kahlil joined professional baseball right out of high school, and there maybe have been some bumps along the way in his maturation and development," Antonetti admitted. "But we're encouraged by some of the progress he's made recently, and we're excited to put him into our organization and our culture and hopefully help him on that path as he develops and matures."
As for Segura, the former All-Star shortstop was dreadful in his lone season with Miami, batting just .219 with a .557 OPS, eight defensive runs allowed at third base, and -1.7 bWAR. By releasing him, the Guardians will eat his $8.5 million salary for 2023 along with $8.5 million more in 2024, as well as a $2 million buyout. Still, since the Marlins took on the entirety of Bell's contract, Cleveland will save $6 million this season (with the buyout included) as well as another potential $8 million next year since Bell's player option is now out of the picture.
The Guards were active at the deadline, but with more of an eye towards the future, dealing away Bell, Amed Rosario, and Aaron Civale for a pair of prospects and a flier on starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. Their prior offseason moves now also look like a complete failure, as both Bell and catcher Mike Zunino were signed to bring pop to the starting nine but are now no longer on the roster.
"It didn't work out," a dejected Antonetti told the press. "That's part of the risk of when you venture into free agency and the contracts don't work out the way you hoped."
Through it all, the Guardians entered Thursday just a game out of first place in the American League Central Division at 53-54, and with Bell gone some younger players in the organization could get some more opportunities. Facing a lefty tonight against the Houston Astros and with Josh Naylor out with a nagging injury, Oscar Gonzalez will bat cleanup and DH while David Fry will hit fifth at first base.
