Miami Marlins first baseman Josh Bell has opted into his contract for 2024 and will remain with the team.
Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reported the news and MLBTradeRumors had more:
Switch-hitting slugger Josh Bell has exercised his player option for the 2024 season, as noted by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. In doing so, Bell has opted to remain with the Marlins, where he figures to be the club’s primary first baseman in 2024, rather than return to the open market this offseason. The Marlins have since announced the news.
That player option came as part of a deal he signed with the Cleveland Guardians before the 2022 season. It is worth $16.5 million.
Bell signed with Cleveland before the 2022 season but was traded to the Marlins at the trade deadline. He was excellent with Miami, hitting .270 with 11 home runs and 26 RBI in just 53 games. The Marlins finished third in the National League East and earned a wild card berth in the playoffs, falling to the Phillies in two games.
Bell just finished his eighth year in the big leagues with the Pirates, Nationals, Padres, Guardians and Marlins. He was named an All-Star in the 2019 season and owns a lifetime .260 batting average with 152 homers.
It's good for the Marlins to have Bell back in the fold, as they recently found out that slugger Jorge Soler would be declining his option and will hit the free agent market.
Now, the Fish only need to work on replacing one source of lineup production, instead of two.
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