Astros may trade 1B Yuli Gurriel for Josh Bell

Astros may trade 1B Yuli Gurriel for Josh Bell

Image via Yuli Gurriel’s twitter

Right now the Houston Astros are ranked number one in the AL West as rumors loom that first baseman Yuli Gurriel may be traded for the Washington Nationals’ first baseman Josh Bell.

Image via Andy Martino on Twitter

In a recent tweet sports writer Andy Martino said that the Astros and the Mets are looking at Josh Bell. Bell has been with the Nationals since 2021, and was with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2016 to 2020. 29-year-old Bell has had 13 home runs and 50 RBIs so far in 2022. His batting average for the 2022 season is .308 (anything higher than .300 is really good)  and .267 for his overall career. 

Even though it’s usually exciting to figure out who will be a good addition to a team, some Astros fans may not be happy about this trade since they might have to say goodbye to Gurriel. He has been a first baseman for the Astros since 2016. Gurriel has been a big hitter for the Astros. In his first season his BA was .299. He went on to help the Astros win the World Series in 2017 with hits and home runs.

His career continued to soar the next two years. Gurriel earned player of the week in 2018 and player of the week and player of the month in 2019. However, the 2020 season was a difficult season for him earning himself a .232 BA that year. 

The following season in 2021, Gurriel lost 15 pounds and his batting average increased dramatically. Gurriel, who is known as “La Piña” because of his hair, had a BA of .319 and became the sixth oldest MLB player to win a batting title and won the Golden Glove award. Now in July 2022 Gurriel seems to be in a slump with a .236 BA so far in the 2022 season.

MLB nerds is a brand that writes about baseball and gives analysis on players. They also have their own podcast, “A Deep Drive Into Left Field”. Image via MLB Nerds’ twitter.

The trade for Bell is moving along quickly. MLB Nerds, a sports news account on twitter, said the Astros, Brewers, and Mets are interested in Bell. The Mets and Brewers have made offers, but the Astros have not given any offers yet.  Although, the Astros have made it clear that they are pursuing Bell aggressively. Baseball insider Jhmar Harris tweeted that sources say Bell could be traded before Tuesday, July 26, and the Astros seem to be in the lead to get him.

Jhmar Harris is a baseball insider for USA Today. Image via Harris’ twitter account.

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