I'll admit that I was beyond excited when the Cleveland Guardians signed Josh Bell and Mike Zunino last winter.
It felt like the organization was finally willing to spend in order to fill the holes in the lineup making them a true contender coming off an ALDS appearance. Bell would provide the much-needed power in the lineup and Zunino would supply some sort of offense from the catcher position.
That was the plan, and at the time, it was a good one. Now we know that objective was better in theory.
Zunino not only was one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball but he also struggled at the plate and didn't provide any sort of production for the offense. His pop time to second base ranked in the 6th percentile while he owned a slash line of .177/.271/.306 over 124 at-bats.
He was DFA'd on June 16 and released by the team a week later.
An argument can be made that Bell was extremely unlucky at the plate during his time with the Guardians. The advanced metrics painted a much different picture of his season, but it's what happens on the field that truly matters. A slugging percentage of .383 for the "power bat" in the lineup just wasn't going to cut it.
Bell was traded moments before the trade deadline closed for Jean Segura (who was immediately cut from the team) and infield prospect Kahlil Watson.
This move essentially opens up the designated hitter position allowing multiple players to rotate through it. A similar game plan to what the team did last season when they DFA'd Franmil Reyes.
It's disappointing that neither player worked out. At least we'll finally get to see what the next wave of Cleveland youth has as they work to stay in the AL Central hunt.
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