Offishial news, 12/25/20: Marlins killer comes east; year-end sale

Nats get big bat

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

In one of the most notable trades of this slow-as-molasses MLB offseason, the Nationals acquired Pirates first baseman Josh Bell on Thursday in exchange for pitching prospects Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean.

Based on the Twitter replies, Pittsburgh fans are aggravated to lose one of the only former All-Stars on their roster. On the other hand, Baseball Trade Values considers this a major overpay for the Nats due to Bell’s lousy 2020 season and rising salary.

Last summer, Washington relied mainly on Eric Thames and Asdrúbal Cabrera to patch together the first base position after Ryan Zimmerman opted out of playing. Thames, Cabrera and Zimmerman are all currently free agents in their mid-30s; Bell is only 28 and will remain under club control through 2022 via arbitration. Although Bell is a big defensive liability, there’s still a decent chance of the universal designated hitter being implemented for 2021. The industry consensus is that it will be made permanent the following year as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.

Bell has obliterated Marlins pitching in the past, posting a .338/.417/.620 slash line in 84 plate appearances (20 games).

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Walk-off links

• It’s the launch of a new mini series within the Fish Stripes podcast, taking stock of the dwindling population of Marlins players remaining from the Jeffrey Loria ownership days.

• Saturday is the deadline for MLB teams to negotiate with Japanese right-hander Kohei Arihara. Over the next two weeks, a handful of productive veterans from NPB (Japan) and the KBO (South Korea) will have decisions to make as their 30-day posting periods expire. As far I as know, the Marlins have not been credibly linked to any of these players.
• Get caught up on how Lewin Díaz, Joe Dunand and more Marlins players have performed in winter leagues.
• Juan Páez won’t let you forget about Yasiel Puig, who is still available in free agency.
• The Old Friend roundup: José Ureña signed with the Detroit Tigers; Adeiny Hechavarría signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines (NPB); Héctor Noesí signed with the Fubon Guardians (Taiwan’s CPBL).
• Marlins reliever Adam Cimber explains why he’s so excited to join the squad.
• Outside of the Cimber acquisition, the Marlins have been mostly inactive, yet the vast majority of fans remain confident.

• Sean Facey takes a deep dive into the 2011 Marlins, continuing a 10-part series on the franchise’s turbulent decade.
• Jesse Daugherty of The Washington Post spoke to girl baseball players about the significance of Kim Ng’s breakthrough.
• Merry Christmas from Jesús Aguilar, Magneuris Sierra, Jordan Yamamoto, Lewis Brinson, Jazz Chisholm and the rest of your favorite Marlins!