If Josh Bell’s name pops up on the timeline these days, there’s a decent chance it’s for doing something that has never been seen before. Or maybe it’s for packing his bags.
Sometimes both.
Last week, Bell smashed a home run off San Diego Padres reliever Tom Cosgrove that broke the record for the highest pitch hit for a home run in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). The pitch came in at 4.65 feet off the ground — higher than Kyle Higashioka’s previous record of 4.61 from 2022 — and Bell pulled it 393 feet to left field.
Maybe that swing was just physics and timing. Or maybe it was the latest reminder that Bell still has the raw power that once made him one of the National League’s most feared switch-hitters. And now, that power could be on Boston’s radar — because when it comes to deadline trade targets, Bell might be the most obvious rental bat on the block.
Josh Bell Has Been Involved in Trades For Three Straight Seasons
In fact, since 2022, Bell has changed uniforms every year like clockwork.
In 2022, the Nationals shipped him to San Diego. He would sign with Cleveland after the season, and then in 2023, he was flipped to Miami at the deadline. Last year, the Marlins sent him to Arizona for a playoff push.
That’s three straight seasons of summer changes and new clubhouses. If Washington moves him again this month, that would make it four consecutive seasons on the trade carousel — and while there’s no official stat for Most Consecutive Seasons Traded, four has to be on the shortlist.
Given where the Nationals are — stuck in another rebuild and reportedly willing to listen — it wouldn’t be shocking to see Bell packing again. NESN floated the idea this week that Boston could be a logical landing spot if the Red Sox want an experienced, switch-hitting bat to add some pop for the stretch run.
The question is whether Bell’s swing still has enough thunder left to matter in Fenway Park.
Josh Bell Could Bring Switch-Hitting Slug to First Base for Boston
Go back a few seasons, and it’s easy to dream on what Bell would look like in a Red Sox uniform. In 2019, Bell put up an .936 OPS for the Pirates, hammering 37 home runs with 116 RBIs. He followed that up with a steady .261/.347/.467 line for Washington in 2021 with 27 homers and 88 RBIs, and in 2023, he slugged a combined 22 home runs with 74 RBIs between Miami and Cleveland.
In the years since, the production has wobbled — some months look like All-Star Josh Bell, others look like he’s searching for that swing again. Still, he remains a capable on-base threat from both sides, a switch-hitter who can handle Fenway’s quirks and might benefit from the short porch in right and the Green Monster in left. For a Boston lineup that’s relied on the three-man rotation of Abraham Toro, Romy Gonzalez and Nick Sogard to fill in at first base since the season-ending injury to Triston Casas, Bell could add some much-needed switch-hitting consistency at the position.
The real draw, though, might be Bell’s vibe — steady, likable, and exactly the kind of presence that Boston’s clubhouse could use for a wild second-half push. This is the same guy who just released a children’s book about teamwork, for crying out loud.
So don’t be surprised if Bell’s name pops up in another trade tracker, and another moving truck pulls up to his driveway before the month’s out. Because for a slugger who’s already breaking unusual records at the plate, one more unusual record might be waiting for him off the field too.
And this time, it could come with a Fenway address.
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