Ex-Pirate Josh Bell calls trade to Nationals 'something that I embrace with open arms'

After being the lone All-Star for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, Josh Bell is embracing his trade to the Washington Nationals, who he called an “All-Star team” filled with World Series champions.

“It’s definitely exciting times,” Bell said Saturday afternoon on a video conference call. “I think it’s everyone’s dream to go into spring training and to have that expectation to be in the postseason and hunt for that championship again. For me, it’s something that I embrace with open arms. …

“It’s definitely different, especially knowing that the team in place is very ready to go,” Bell added. “It definitely seems like a machine, and I’m just happy to be one of the turning parts of it.”

The call was Bell’s introduction to the Washington, D.C., media and his farewell to Pittsburgh. Bell, who is spending the offseason with his parents in Irving, Texas, said he was preparing for a Christmas Eve workout with his father when he received a text from Pirates general manager Ben Cherington asking him to call back when he had a chance.

“I figured as I was walking out the door to call him back that something had happened because you can get a text on Christmas Eve, but a phone call is kind of strange to get from a GM at that time of year,” Bell said. “He told me I’d been traded. He said he got a couple studs in return. I told him, ‘Thank you for everything in the past year.’ And that was it.”

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Bell “a big upgrade for us, a middle-of-the-lineup presence we’ve been looking for” and noted Bell was only one year removed from an All-Star season in which he hit 37 home runs and 116 RBIs.

Rizzo said the Nationals analytics team believes Bell is “a big bounce-back candidate to get back to what he did in 2019” after slashing .226/.305/.364 with eight homers and 22 RBIs last season.

Bell blamed his struggles on his approach at the plate, saying he was “kind of drifting to my front side more than I wanted to” and that he wasn’t able to make in-game adjustments without being able to watch video in between at-bats. He compared it to watching a movie from the front seat of a theater instead of the back seat.

“You’d want to watch it from the back seat,” Bell said. “I was jumping towards the ball, and that doesn’t play at this level, doesn’t play with guys with high velo. And, just without video and things like to be really able to dive in at-bat to at-bat, I wasn’t making adjustments in game that I’d like to. Things sped up to me a little bit. I was looking up 30 games into the season, I was hitting .180 — something I’ve never done — but across the league I saw that there were guys doing the same thing.”

Yet Bell said he was thankful for his time with the Pirates, who signed him to a record $5 million bonus after drafting him in the second round in 2011 and converting him from outfielder to first baseman. In five major league seasons, he hit .261/.349/.466 with 105 doubles, 86 homers and 309 RBIs. Bell had a monster May 2019, batting .390 with 12 homers, 31 RBIs and 94 total bases and was chosen for his first All-Star Game.

“I really can’t imagine being drafted by any other team just because now I’m a first baseman,” Bell said. “They were the team that gave me the opportunity, that moved me and really allowed me to develop there. It wasn’t always pretty, but I was able to put the work in and I was able to be slid into the lineup. It was tough the last couple of years. We didn’t finish the way we’d liked to, but I’m extremely grateful for the team that drafted me and I’ll definitely root for them in the future.”

Bell’s appearance in the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby made him the face of the franchise, and he was front and center after they traded All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner Starling Marte to Arizona last January. Bell said it never felt like a burden despite the Pirates finishing with the worst record in baseball (19-41).

“I think it’s all about what you make it,” Bell said. “For me personally, that’s something that every kid dreams of, to be asked about by reporters. It’s never talked about in the clubhouse — hey, you’re the face — but just in regards to the fan base and whatnot, it’s an exciting time period to play. If you’re at pinnacle of your game and fans look to you to come up in the clutch, I think that is way more of a blessing than it is a curse. I’m excited to become one of those guys here with the Nationals.”