Josh Bell’s career has found new life in Minnesota, and the Guardians are about to see it up close.
Cleveland once bet on Bell to be the middle-of-the-order answer that could push the club to another level in the American League. Instead, his 2023 run with the Guardians turned into a 97-game slog before he was shipped to the Marlins at the deadline in a deal that nearly destroyed the clubhouse but brought back Kahlil Watson.
For a while, that looked like the kind of stretch that can close the door on a player’s big-league future. Bell has pushed back against that idea over the past couple of seasons, though, and he’s now putting together a productive year for a Twins team that is hanging around in the American League Central.
That production will be on display when the Guardians open a three-game set against Minnesota later today at Target Field.
Bell enters the series with a .247/.306/.431 slashline, along with 13 home runs and 60 RBI in 88 games. His RBI total is tied for third in the American League, behind only Nick Kurtz and Yordan Alvarez.
He’s already in position to top last season’s numbers, when he hit 22 homers and drove in 63 runs across 140 games. The tradeoff is that his on-base percentage has dipped, sitting at .306 this year after he posted a .325 mark last season.
That kind of up-and-down production has followed Bell for much of his career, and this season has fit the pattern. He opened with a .666 OPS in April, dropped to .562 in May, then caught fire with an .891 OPS in June. He’s also already launched three home runs in July.
Guardians fans have seen this version before. Bell hit just .233 during his time in Cleveland in 2023, then rebounded to .270 after the move to Miami.
Cleveland’s trade of Bell looks better now that Watson has impressed in his first taste of big league action, but Bell still stands as a reminder of how rough that 2023 season was for the Guardians.
The limitations are still there, too. He isn’t reaching base at the same rate he has in previous seasons, and he’s mostly been used as a designated hitter this year.
When he has played in the field, he’s been worth -1 Outs Above Average. That’s a big part of why he’s sitting at just 0.4 fWAR, well behind Alvarez at 4.1 and Kurtz at 3.3.
Even with those flaws, Bell could still be a trade candidate if the Twins decide to walk the line between buying and selling at the deadline. ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently ranked him No. 40 on his list of the top 100 trade candidates.
The Guardians have already had a preview of what Bell can do when he’s rolling. Two months ago, Minnesota took two of three from Cleveland at Progressive Field even though Bell went just 3-for-13 in the series and struck out nine times.
If the Guardians want a better result this week, they’ll need to keep him quiet again.
In Other News...
Another Guardians Outfielder Just Became A Casualty Of Cleveland's Youth Shift
Stuart Fairchilds brief run with Cleveland is over after the Guardians designated the outfielder for assignment and he later elected free agency when he went unclaimed on outright waivers. The move fits the clubs broader roster churn, one that has increasingly tilted toward younger outfield options as the Guardians keep reshaping the edges of the roster.
Fairchild now has another path forward, but his departure also underscores how little room there is for veteran depth pieces when Cleveland is trying to clear space for the next wave. The Guardians have continued to lean into that youth movement in the outfield, and Fairchild became the latest casualty of it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Draft History Looks Even Worse Than Fans Remember
For a franchise that has spent years trying to build through the draft, the Guardians history of first- and early-round swings looks rougher when revisited in one place. A review of five of the organizations biggest misses puts a harsh spotlight on how little Cleveland got back from several premium picks, especially when those players never turned into real trade chips either. Bradley Zimmers injury-plagued run, Jeremy Sowers quick fade after arriving as a high pick, and Carson Tuckers inability to establish himself all fit the same frustrating pattern.
Tuckers case is especially stark because his time in the system ended with a .164 batting average in 73 minor league games before Cleveland moved on. Add in the broader track record around those other picks, and it becomes clear why this part of the Guardians draft history still lingers with fans. The organization has had plenty of success stories to point to over the years, but these misses are a reminder that not every promising name in June turns into help in October, or even much help at all. [Read more 🡒]
Francisco Lindor Is Back At The Center Of A Guardians Debate
Francisco Lindors name has a way of pulling Cleveland back into the conversation, and this latest round of chatter is no different. The former Guardians star, now under a long-term Mets deal, has become a talking point again as New York sits at the bottom of its division and analysts start gaming out whether a reunion could even be considered.
The idea is easy enough to understand from Clevelands side, since Lindor still carries the kind of impact and familiarity that would make any front office pause. But the contract alone makes the whole exercise feel more theoretical than practical, and the debate has already split opinions, with some seeing a fit and others wanting no part of it. [Read more 🡒]