At the beginning of the season this would have been an insane thing to say, but should the Nationals bring Josh Bell back in 2026? With the way he has been playing, it is something the team should be considering. Bell is a positive force in the locker room and bringing back a familiar veteran could be helpful for a young team.
The Nats Need Veteran Leadership:
For years, the Nationals have been cycling through veteran players on one-year deals. The idea is that these guys could rebuild their value
in DC, help out the younger players and then get traded. However, it is tough to be a leader in a locker room when you are only around for a few months.
All season we have been talking about how the Nationals need veteran leaders. Josh Bell is the one guy who fits the bill. He is everything you want from a pro. Bell is a team player who will not complain if he does not play everyday and is someone for the young players to look up to.
He is a model citizen who is great in the community with his reading efforts. That is why he has become a fan favorite over the years. Another reason why he is loved is that you can tell Bell wants to be in DC. He has embraced the community and in return we have embraced him. Even when he struggled, most fans were sad rather than mad because we love Bell.
Having the same veteran in the locker room for multiple years is also very helpful. These young Nationals have seen different faces come and go. Every time we got to know these guys they were gone. Guys like Jesse Winker and Jeimer Candelario were fun, but before you knew it they were gone. I think it is important for these young guys to have some continuity.
However, none of this matters if the results on the field are not there. Outside of his disastrous start, Bell has been very good for the Nats. First base is not a position where the Nats have an obvious long term answer, so it is not like Bell is blocking anyone. If a guy like Yohandy Morales emerges, Bell is not a guy you have to keep playing either. He is really the perfect veteran for this young group.
Bell Has Been Hitting:
Since May 1st, Josh Bell has been a good hitter for the Washington Nationals. In that time, he is hitting .262 with an .800 OPS. That is very good production in a 96 game sample size.
We know Bell is an inconsistent hitter with peaks and valleys. However, the good has outweighed the bad for a while. Even for him, that April seems like a bit of an aberration. Bell was trying to be a slugger and it just did not work for him. Since ending that failed experiment, he has been very solid.
When Bell is hot, he is a guy that can carry your offense. Davey Martinez kept saying that in April when he kept putting the ice cold Bell in the lineup. It turned out that he was right and his faith was rewarded.
Right now, Bell is on one of his patented heaters. It really came out of nowhere. He was struggling to end August, but things changed on Sunday. Miguel Cairo brought him in to pinch hit against the Cubs. Bell provided the biggest swing of the night, hitting a go ahead three run homer that won the Nats the ballgame.
He carried that momentum to the game yesterday as well. Bell went absolutely nuclear. He went 4/6 with two homers and six RBI’s. Those two homers came from both sides of the plate which is a fun touch. Bell being a switch hitter has always thrown me off. Why would a big slugger like him feel the need to switch hit when he was young?
Either way, Bell has been a fun redemption story in a rough year. At the beginning of the season, this looked like the end of the road for Bell. However, he has found his footing and is really shining.
His underlying data is even better than his traditional numbers though. Bell is severely underperforming his xWOBA. His wOBA sits at .320, which is just above league average. However, his xWOBA sits at .367. That is borderline elite. It is better than his xWOBA in either of his seasons in DC during his first stint.
To put it into context, his xWOBA is higher than the likes of Freddie Freeman, Bo Bichette and Junior Caminero. It is only one point lower than James Wood’s xWOBA as well.
What this means is that Bell’s batted ball data is strong. He is catching more barrels, striking out less and walking more. If he can carry that approach into next season, the traditional data will improve.
At 33 years old, there is some age risk here. Bell has also been a slow starter and overall inconsistent player in his career. That is why he will be affordable and in the Nats price range.
Overall, I think it would be a smart move to bring Bell back. He is a cheap and effective stop gap option at either first base or DH. Even if the Nationals decide to spend more money, it would be a good move to take him and spend the money on pitching.
The Nationals desperately need veteran leadership and stability. Josh Bell is a guy who can do that while being cheap. It is not the flashiest option, but we know that Bell is a guy who wants to be here and is a good locker room guy. The Nationals need those kinds of guys in 2026.
