I think it was the idea that they would lose him to free agency so they might as well trade him and get something in return. They traded him with 2 years of control left and coming off a very poor 2020 season (.226, 8 HRs in 195 ABs, poor defense). So he wasn't going to strike it rich in arbitration. I think the Pirates were souring on him and he wasn't in big demand. They didn't need to trade him at that time but with 2 years of control left, it increased his trade value. But even at that, the return was slight. Wil Crowe was seen as nothing more than a serviceable MLB pitcher. And Eddy Yean was a 20-year-old who hadn't pitched above the rookie league. He's currently in Altoona.Wildwoodcoach wrote: ↑Sat Aug 03, 2024 11:24 pm Going to need a little help here. For some reason I don't completely remember
the circumstances when Bell left. It seems so long ago. Was it strictly the money?
We see Bell when he plays against the Pirates and he looks awesome. But there are a few teams he hits well and a lot that he doesn't. He's never come close to the 37 HRs he hit for the Bucs in 2019. IMHO, he never recovered from adjusting his swing in the AS game HR derby that year. He's been with 5 other teams since leaving the Pirates.
