Josh Bell, a switch-hitting slugger, has exercised his player option for the 2024 campaign, according to Miami Herald reporter Jordan McPherson. Instead of going back to the open market this offseason, Bell has chosen to stay with the Marlins, where he is expected to be the team’s starting first baseman in 2024. Since then, the Marlins have made the announcement.
Bell’s opt-out was one of the more dubious situations this season of options, especially for positional players. Bell, 31, had some difficulty in the first half of the season with the Guardians, hitting just.233/.318/.383 in 393 at-bats with Cleveland this season, along with a below-average wRC+ of just 96. At the trade deadline, Bell was then sent to Miami, where he soon becameAlthough Bell’s run in Miami did little to improve his season average (he finished 17th out of 24 qualified first basemen this year with a 105 wRC+), his scorching 53-game streak was about comparable to what he had done with the Nationals and Padres in 2021 and 2022. That made it at least plausible that Bell would reject the option and try the open market, where he’d be one of the better first base/DH batters available alongside Brandon Belt in a hitter-heavy free-agent class. Nevertheless, Bell’s ultimate choice wasn’t all that surprising; prior to the start of the postseason, an MLBTR reader survey revealed that an overwhelming 72% of participants thought Bell would be better off using his
Bell’s return to the Marlins is undoubtedly a comfort to the team that traded away 2021 first-round selection Kahlil Watson to acquire him from the Guardians at this year’s deadline. With the team’s key designated hitter, Jorge Soler, about to hit free agency, Bell and fellow deadline addition Jake Burger are expected to contribute to the lineup’s stability with second baseman Luis Arraez. Bell and Burger both helped ignite the club’s offense in the last months of 2023.
Naturally, more will be required to enable the team to make the postseason for a second straight year. With a 94 wRC+, the club’s offense finished 20th in the majors last season. Without outside acquisitions, the club’s offensive potential will be further constrained by the loss of Soler’s 126 wRC+ bat. Even though the club will have less payroll capacity to accommodate such signings due to Bell’s one-year, $16.5MM contract return, they still have $20MM in budget space available, according to RosterResource, even if they only want to match their $110MM salary in 2023.
