The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired first baseman Josh Bell from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
The transaction came hours before the trade deadline and one day after Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker made an early exit against the Washington Nationals because of a strained left oblique. Arizona placed Walker on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and recalled first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith from Triple-A Reno.
Bell, 31, was placed on waivers on Saturday while making $16.5 million in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Cleveland Guardians. Arizona will pay the remaining $2.5 million owed Bell this season, per media reports.
This is the third consecutive season that Bell has been dealt at the trade deadline. He is batting .239 with 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, a .305 on-base percentage and .394 slugging percentage in 104 games this season.
A second-round selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2011 MLB Draft, Bell has played parts of nine seasons for the Pirates (2016-20), Nationals (2021-22), San Diego Padres (2022), Guardians (2023) and Marlins.
He is a career .258 hitter with 166 homers and 591 RBIs in 1,106 games. His best season was in 2019, when he batted .277 and posted career bests with 37 homers and 116 RBIs with Pittsburgh and was selected to the National League All-Star team.
Smith, 28, is batting .268 (15-for-56) with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 27 games for Arizona this season.
–Field Level Media
