First baseman Josh Bell agreed to a two-year, $33 million deal with the Guardians on Tuesday, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The club has not confirmed the deal, which includes a clause for Bell to opt out after 2023, Feinsand added.
In seven major league seasons, the 30-year-old Bell has hit 130 home runs and is posting a .262/.351/.459 offensive line. His best season was with Pittsburgh in 2019, when he went to his only All-Star Game. However, he also had very good numbers in Washington in 2021 and 2022.
Midway through the 2022 season, Bell was traded to the Padres as part of the Juan José Soto trade. He didn’t fare well down the stretch of the regular season, but he delivered some of San Diego’s biggest hits in the postseason.
A constant presence in the lineup, Bell has never missed more than 20 games in a full season, aside from his rookie year in 2016 with Pittsburgh.
