Nationals: 5 players to sell at the MLB Trade Deadline

2. The Nationals could trade Josh Bell at the deadline.

I think we could easily look at Josh Bell as the most likely Nats’ player to be dealt at the deadline. Bell is your classic “rental player”, as the left-handed hitting slugger is under contract through the end of this season and will become a free agent this fall.

Bell can play first base or act as a team’s designated hitter. His .800 OPS will definitely make the 29-year-old a desirable trade candidate and Bell has hit 25 or more home runs three times in his career. There’s a chance the Texas native could do that again this season.

Any team who’s looking to add a power-hitting left-handed bat will certainly have their eye on Josh Bell as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The former All-Star has also been incredibly durable over his major league career, playing 140 games or more in every 162-game season since 2017.

Bell could be one of the first Nats players dealt this summer, perhaps even before the All-Star Game. Bell’s .841 career OPS versus right-handed pitchers might be too good for a contending team to pass up.