Jon Heyman predicts Marlins' Josh Bell reunion with Pirates at MLB Trade Deadline
Jon Heyman predicts Marlins' Josh Bell reunion with Pirates at MLB Trade Deadline
The Pittsburgh Pirates may be hovering around the .500 mark, but a reunion of sorts could be in the works at the MLB Trade Deadline.
With the July 30 deadline six weeks away, the Pirates could be looking to improve the first base position for the second half of the season.
In making his "best guesses" of trade deadline deals, Jon Heyman of The New York Post suggested a reunion between the Pirates and Miami Marlins first baseman Josh Bell could be in order.
Heyman also mentioned the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins as potential landing spots for the left-handed slugger.
With Rowdy Tellez continuing to struggle to the tune of a 60 OPS+ through 57 games, the Pirates are going to have to consider other options at the position regardless of whether they're competing for a wild-card spot.
Bell spent the first five seasons of his MLB career (2016-2020) in Pittsburgh, sporting a healthy .814 OPS during those five years.
After spending the following seasons with the Washington Nationals (2021-2022), San Diego Padres (2022), Cleveland Guardians (2023) and Miami Marlins (2023-2024), Bell could be on the market.
His numbers are certainly down considering his .684 OPS to go along with just seven home runs in 69 games, but he'd still be an upgrade over Tellez.
The Marlins own one of the worst records in MLB at 23-46 entering Saturday, making them obvious sellers. We'll see if a reunion is in place when these next six weeks are up.