Josh Bell Trade

[Surgnbuck]

Starting individual threads for some of the more notable, and even some of the less notable trades that have occurred during the Ben Cherington regime to date. Though not 100 percent complete, I won't continue down too many rabbit holes, but will list some pertinent info on the players the Pirates got, what happened to them, and what happened to who they traded.

Josh Bell- Traded to Washington for Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean on Christmas Eve, 12/24/2020. Played in 247 games, 1005 PA for the Nationals. 6.4 WAR Was traded to San Diego in 2022 along with Juan Soto, who was the primary player in the trade. Bell was a rental, and became a FA at the end of the season. He was a -0.5 WAR with the Padres, and played in the NLDS against the Dodgers going 0-6 in the Padres win, and NLCS against Philadelphia going 6-17 with a HR and 3 RBI in the Padres loss. The return for Bell/Soto to Washington was Robert Hassell III (AAA Nats system), Jarlin Susana (High A Nats system), CJ Abrams (SS MLB 6.8 WAR total), James Wood (OF MLB 1.2 WAR), MacKenzie Gore (SP MLB 2.4 WAR total), and Luke Voit, who became a FA and is currently playing in Mexico.

Eddy Yean-Still with Pirates, finished season with AAA Indianapolis after spending most of the season with Altoona. He's 23, and was 7-5 3.45 ERA with the Curve as a RP.

Wil Crowe- Pitched 3 seasons with the Pirates. 202.1IP total, 0.1 WAR. He was released in Nov. 2023. Signed in KBO Jan 2024, released Aug. 2024

Grade in trade- Unless the Pirates get close to 6 WAR from a relief pitcher (for comparison, David Bednar is a 2 time All Star for the Pirates with 5.0 WAR) this trade was a complete disaster. When you throw in the actual date this trade occurred, the comparison to a lump of coal is startling.

[Ecbucs]

however, Bell made 4.8 million his last year as a Buc and 6.35 and 10 million with the Nats.

The Pirates were able to pay other players with the money they saved by not paying Bell.

While that may be a good reason for dealing him the bottom line is that the deal didn't help the team.

When you take the money you say you save and spend it on players like Michael Taylor, Austin Hedges, Rowdy Tellez you are not moving the needle.

[Surgnbuck]

however, Bell made 4.8 million his last year as a Buc and 6.35 and 10 million with the Nats.

The Pirates were able to pay other players with the money they saved by not paying Bell.

While that may be a good reason for dealing him the bottom line is that the deal didn't help the team.

When you take the money you say you save and spend it on players like Michael Taylor, Austin Hedges, Rowdy Tellez you are not moving the needle.

That's the kind of rabbit hole I can't go down. One can only speculate about how the salary savings are spent, and on whom. Here's the 2021 roster: https://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/ ... 2021&t=PIT

[Bobster]

Bell was not a FA until 2023 so the Nats actually had 2 years of control with Bell. Which makes the trade even worse for the Pirates. Crowe was seen as a serviceable MLB pitcher. Yean was 19 and hadn't pitched above low-A. Just another guy that Cherington's analytics told him was someday, somehow, some way going to evolve into a star pitcher. And the best part of it was that along the way, he'd be getting a minor league salary.

[Ecbucs]

however, Bell made 4.8 million his last year as a Buc and 6.35 and 10 million with the Nats.

The Pirates were able to pay other players with the money they saved by not paying Bell.

While that may be a good reason for dealing him the bottom line is that the deal didn't help the team.

When you take the money you say you save and spend it on players like Michael Taylor, Austin Hedges, Rowdy Tellez you are not moving the needle.

That's the kind of rabbit hole I can't go down. One can only speculate about how the salary savings are spent, and on whom. Here's the 2021 roster: https://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/ ... 2021&t=PIT

it is really impossible to speculate on how the money ends up being spent. However, the reason for the deal was to save money and not improve the team for the next year. Just replacing Bell on the roster with Crowe made the Bucs worse rather than better.

[Doc]

however, Bell made 4.8 million his last year as a Buc and 6.35 and 10 million with the Nats.

The Pirates were able to pay other players with the money they saved by not paying Bell.

While that may be a good reason for dealing him the bottom line is that the deal didn't help the team.

When you take the money you say you save and spend it on players like Michael Taylor, Austin Hedges, Rowdy Tellez you are not moving the needle.

That's the kind of rabbit hole I can't go down. One can only speculate about how the salary savings are spent, and on whom. Here's the 2021 roster: https://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/ ... 2021&t=PIT

it is really impossible to speculate on how the money ends up being spent. However, the reason for the deal was to save money and not improve the team for the next year. Just replacing Bell on the roster with Crowe made the Bucs worse rather than better.

That's been pretty much the purpose of every trade since 2015.

[Surgnbuck]

Bell was not a FA until 2023 so the Nats actually had 2 years of control with Bell. Which makes the trade even worse for the Pirates. Crowe was seen as a serviceable MLB pitcher. Yean was 19 and hadn't pitched above low-A. Just another guy that Cherington's analytics told him was someday, somehow, some way going to evolve into a star pitcher. And the best part of it was that along the way, he'd be getting a minor league salary.

It was noted about Bell and FA. He was a rental when he was traded by the Nats, Soto was the main part of the trade. Not sure what you mean by "makes the trade even worse" when I said it was a complete bust.

[Bobster]

Bell was not a FA until 2023 so the Nats actually had 2 years of control with Bell. Which makes the trade even worse for the Pirates. Crowe was seen as a serviceable MLB pitcher. Yean was 19 and hadn't pitched above low-A. Just another guy that Cherington's analytics told him was someday, somehow, some way going to evolve into a star pitcher. And the best part of it was that along the way, he'd be getting a minor league salary.

It was noted about Bell and FA. He was a rental when he was traded by the Nats, Soto was the main part of the trade. Not sure what you mean by "makes the trade even worse" when I said it was a complete bust.

I thought you were saying the Nats had only 1 year of control before he was a FA, which could help explain why they got so little for Bell. Having 2 years of control makes it even harder to understand why they got so little. You are right. It was a complete bust.