Nationals Major Free Agent Addition Has Struggled in One Key Area

The Washington Nationals made several veteran additions to their team this past winter, hoping they would help push the team forward in their rebuild.

Unfortunately, most of those moves have not paid off, with very little impact being made by the players signed in free agency.

Arguably, the most disappointing addition to this point has been designated hitter Josh Bell.

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Signed to a one-year, $6 million deal, there was some hope that the powerful switch-hitter would provide the team with a much-needed power boost in the middle of their order. 

He had finished the 2024 campaign on a high note with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in his first stint with the Nationals, he performed at an incredibly high level.

For the 2021 season and through 2022, before he was traded along with Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, Bell was crushing the ball.

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He compiled a 7.0 bWAR across 247 games with 44 home runs, 53 doubles, four triples and 159 RBI.

This season, he hasn’t come close to replicating that level of success.

Through 68 games and 266 plate appearances, Bell has an underwhelming .194/.278/.346 slash line with 10 home runs, four doubles, one triple and 28 RBI. His OPS+ is a 77, which would be a career low, and his bWAR is -0.6.

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In addition to his overall struggles, the veteran is coming up short in high-leverage situations as well.

As shared by Thomas Nestico on X, Bell is amongst the least clutch players in the MLB thus far this season.