Could Twins use Hot Streak of Bell to get Bullpen help?

[Trov]

Josh Bell is doing what Josh Bell does, gets hot when weather warms.  He is doing very well in June, and just as his career has shown June through August he is a different hitter than the early spring and fall months. Twins have a glut of AAA that could come up and fill his roll.  Even if the Twins feel they can compete for playoffs, it still might be worth trading Bell while he is looking like a good DH/1B shot, for some type of bullpen help.  He will never fetch a huge return, but it is one of those sell while he is hot, and you have depth to fill that roll. 

[ashbury]

37 minutes ago, Trov said:

Josh Bell is doing what Josh Bell does, gets hot when weather warms.  He is doing very well in June, and just as his career has shown June through August he is a different hitter than the early spring and fall months. Twins have a glut of AAA that could come up and fill his roll.  Even if the Twins feel they can compete for playoffs, it still might be worth trading Bell while he is looking like a good DH/1B shot, for some type of bullpen help.  He will never fetch a huge return, but it is one of those sell while he is hot, and you have depth to fill that roll. 

How much do you think a contender is willing to shell out for a guy they can reasonably expect to fade by the time the post-season starts?

[lecroy24fan]

Maybe they can get Chapman from BOS. Or Weaver from the Mets. How about Kirby Yates from the Angels. There's Senzatela from COL. They could just swap them now. The other team might have to send cash or a top 20 prospect. 

[Mike Sixel]

No . He's just not worth anything. 

No way they deal for Chapman, he has a vesting option. 

[RpR]

1 hour ago, Trov said:

Josh Bell is doing what Josh Bell does, gets hot when weather warms.  He is doing very well in June, and just as his career has shown June through August he is a different hitter than the early spring and fall months. Twins have a glut of AAA that could come up and fill his roll.  Even if the Twins feel they can compete for playoffs, it still might be worth trading Bell while he is looking like a good DH/1B shot, for some type of bullpen help.  He will never fetch a huge return, but it is one of those sell while he is hot, and you have depth to fill that roll. 

Fedko is already here.

[HarmonK03]

Just ask the Nationals how easy is it trade Bell at the trade deadline, they couldn't do it last year.  The only hope would be that Falvey gets a job between now and the trade deadline and we could probably convince him to take him.  We are stuck with him unless he is DFA'd.

[lecroy24fan]

5 minutes ago, karcherd said:

Just ask the Nationals how easy is it trade Bell at the trade deadline, they couldn't do it last year.  The only hope would be that Falvey gets a job between now and the trade deadline and we could probably convince him to take him.  We are stuck with him unless he is DFA'd.

Well the Twins were able to deal Ty France and Carlos Santana at the deadline the last 2 years so anything is possible.

[lecroy24fan]

57 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

No . He's just not worth anything. 

No way they deal for Chapman, he has a vesting option. 

Looks like that post went right over your head bud!

[HarmonK03]

Just now, lecroy24fan said:

Well the Twins were able to deal Ty France and Carlos Santana at the deadline the last 2 years so anything is possible.

Apples and oranges, Bell is a DH only and a very streaky hitter, who wants to take that on.  There was a limited market for him this offseason, only Falvey bit.  You will be lucky to get a Rookie league or Low A player for him.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, lecroy24fan said:

Looks like that post went right over your head bud!

Ah, yes, hard to get that given what some here post :)

[jorgenswest]

I would guess he doesn’t have a trade market. He did get a return in 2023 when traded during the season but to get a good prospect his team also had to take on a bad two year contract on a player they immediately released.

The return was only cash in 2024 but he had a much larger contract at the time. In 2024 he had a similar very good month leading into the trade but I doubt teams think that kind of sample has any meaning.

The contract is smaller now so that helps. 

[lecroy24fan]

5 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Ah, yes, hard to get that given what some here post :)

I tried to make it obvious at the end. 😁

[Trov]

16 hours ago, ashbury said:

How much do you think a contender is willing to shell out for a guy they can reasonably expect to fade by the time the post-season starts?

They will not give up much for sure.  That is why I was suggesting some type of pen help.  I am not expecting some top end guy, but a stable relief guy that may be 4th in line on their team, but would be 2nd on ours possibly might be out there.  

Bell is not making that much money, and a hot hitter can carry you for a month can make the difference between making the playoffs and not. If he fades in September, you keep him off your post season roster.  I do not know what kind of market there is for him if any.  I know it would not be a strong market overall. 

Do I expect a deal, no, because they are flirting with the idea of fighting for playoffs and if he is hot hitting they will want to keep him for the same reason another team might want him, because for July and August he might give you a few more wins.  September he may get the DFA as he reverts back to sub replacement player.

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Trov said:

They will not give up much for sure.  That is why I was suggesting some type of pen help.  I am not expecting some top end guy, but a stable relief guy that may be 4th in line on their team, but would be 2nd on ours possibly might be out there.  

Bell is not making that much money, and a hot hitter can carry you for a month can make the difference between making the playoffs and not. If he fades in September, you keep him off your post season roster.  I do not know what kind of market there is for him if any.  I know it would not be a strong market overall. 

Do I expect a deal, no, because they are flirting with the idea of fighting for playoffs and if he is hot hitting they will want to keep him for the same reason another team might want him, because for July and August he might give you a few more wins.  September he may get the DFA as he reverts back to sub replacement player.

Bell is making a significant amount for a maybe league average hitting DH. The new team would be responsible for about $4MM including the $1.25MM buyout.

1) Team has to be a competitor
2) Team has to have little payroll capacity so they can't afford a good option
3) Team must be unwilling to trade quality prospect talent to acquire a good player
4) Team must have an absolute black hole at DH

Just because Bell is "hot" today doesn't mean he's going to be hot tomorrow and teams know this. 6/14-6/21 was his "hot streak" where he went .462/.517/.769 OPS 1.286 wRC+ 257 across 7 games. Great! Trade him! Only his 6 games since are .150/.227/.300 OPS .527 wRC+ 43. Looks like we missed our shot. For teams to bite, they're going to need to see a month of consistent performance before the deadline. Not 1 or 2 hot streaks for 5 games each surrounded by 20 games of not so good play.

Even then, nobody is going to buy Bell being a highly desirable target. The Twins overpaid for him from Day 1 so the best the team can hope for is to get out from under his contract with a PTBNL, IMHO.