Sources: 1B Bell, Guardians agree on 2-year pact

First baseman Josh Bell is successful statement connected a two-year, $33 cardinal declaration with the Cleveland Guardians, sources acquainted with the woody told ESPN. Bell has an opt-out clause aft the archetypal season.

Bell, 30, has played successful 93% of games portion with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres implicit these past six years, batting .262/.350/.462 with 127 location runs and 449 RBIs.

Bell joined the Nationals connected a one-year, $10 cardinal declaration successful March and was enjoying a vocation twelvemonth done the archetypal 4 months, batting .301/.384/.493 with 14 location runs successful 103 games. But his slash enactment dropped to .192/.316/.271 aft getting dealt to the Padres, yet losing immoderate playing clip successful the postseason.

Bell played successful 10 playoff games arsenic the Padres precocious to the National League Championship Series. He deed 2 runs and finished with a .250 mean and 5 RBIs earlier the Padres' tally ended astatine the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bell's archetypal play with Cleveland volition beryllium his eighth successful the majors and archetypal successful the American League. A autochthonal of Irving, Texas, Bell was the No. 61 prime of the 2011 MLB draught by the Pirates. He debuted successful the majors connected July 8, 2016, and played 5 seasons with the Pirates. His vocation play came successful 2019, erstwhile helium deed 37 homers and 116 RBIs with Pittsburgh.

Bell's beingness gives the Guardians a right-handed powerfulness hitter to brace with the left-handed-hitting Josh Naylor astatine archetypal basal and astatine designated hitter. The Guardians, coming disconnected a astonishing part championship, were heavy progressive successful that market, having antecedently made a tally astatine Jose Abreu, who signed a three-year, $58.5 cardinal woody with the Houston Astros.

Cleveland outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays successful the wild-card bid earlier losing to the New York Yankees successful the ALDS successful 5 games.