The Nationals are receiving calls on a number of hitters, according to a report from TalkNats. The Red Sox have been in contact with the club about first basemen Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe, while the report adds that Washington has also received calls from clubs inquiring after the availability of second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder Alex Call. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies have shown interest in Call’s services, though it’s unclear if that interest continues even after Philadelphia landed outfielder Harrison Bader in a deal with the Twins.
That Boston would inquire after the Nationals’ pair of first basemen is hardly a surprise. The Red Sox have had a hole at first base ever since Triston Casas went down with a season-ending injury at the beginning of May, and since then the club has relied primarily on Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro to handle the position. The duo has done reasonably well with that opportunity, and Gonzalez in particular has flourished in a part-time role with a 1.041 OPS against left-handed pitching. Improvements can be made, however, and bringing either Bell or Lowe into the fold would constitute a substantial upgrade.
Bell would presumably be the cheaper of the two to acquire. The 32-year-old is on a one-year deal that guarantees him $6MM total this season. While Bell was once a solidly above average bat at first base, with a .262/.351/.459 (116 wRC+) slash line over his first seven seasons in the majors and a handful of even more impactful seasons than that, in more recent years he’s settled in as just about an average hitter in the big leagues. Since the start of the 2023 season, Bell has hit .243/.322/.406 (102 wRC+). This year, his wRC+ sits at 101 with an 18.1% strikeout rate, an 11.1% walk rate, but just 13 homers in 96 games. Notably, Bell’s numbers feature substantial splits. He’s posted a 120 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year, compared to a wRC+ of just 30 against lefties. That could make him the ideal platoon Partner for Gonzalez given his excellent numbers against southpaws.
Lowe, meanwhile, has had a down year in D.C. but comes with an additional season of team control as he’s eligible for arbitration this winter. After slashing a strong .274/.359/.432 (124 wRC+) and earning both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards across four seasons in Houston, Lowe was traded to the Nationals this past offseason and has struggled to adjust to his new team. In 108 games for the club this year, he’s posted a lackluster .226/.294/.386 slash line with a wRC+ of 94. Like Bell, he also sports pronounced platoon splits; while he’s posted a decent 108 wRC+ against right-handed hitters, that mark drops to just 49 against fellow lefties. With Casas expected back in 2026, Lowe may not necessarily be as attractive an option for the Red Sox as Bell would be, though he could also become a trade chip for Boston in the offseason if he bounces back down the stretch if acquired.
Call, 30, was acquired from Cleveland back in 2022. He’s been a steady contributor in a part-time role for the Nationals since then with a .243/.342/.373 slash line (103 wRC+) in D.C. overall. That figure is dragged down by an abysmal 2022 season where he was used as a regular, however, and as a bench player this year Call has excelled with a .274/.371/.386 (121 wRC+) slash line in 237 trips to the plate. While Call lacks much power, he strikes out just 15.2% of the time while walking at an above-average 11.0% clip. He primarily profiles as a corner outfielder but has experience at all three outfield spots as well as DH. He could be a valuable addition for a team looking for a right-handed outfield bat, such as the Padres. Gelb suggests the Phillies have some interest in call, and he could be a fit even after their acquisition of Bader earlier today. After all, Johan Rojas has underwhelmed this year and both Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh are best suited to a platoon role where they can sit against lefties.
As for Garcia, the 25-year-old posted a 110 wRC+ last year as the club’s everyday second baseman but has taken a slight step backwards this year. In 370 plate appearances across 96 games, Garcia has posted a .261/.300/.405 (95 wRC+) slash line with a 14.9% strikeout rate but lackluster defense. Garcia would be an intriguing addition given that he’s under team control through the end of the 2027 season. Garcia hasn’t directly been tied to any clubs, but one speculative fit could be the Astros, who are known to be looking for another bat and preferably would like to add a left-handed hitter. The Giants and Royals are among the other teams for whom adding Garcia could make some sense.
Yearly Josh Bell trade?
The last two years, he has hit better after the deadline. And he’s red hot this July.
I’d rather stay with what we have over the 2025 Bell.
There was a hole at 1B while Casas was still playing… ya know?
It won’t happen but I’d love to see Wood in Houston.
You will, and you’ll see a Nat ring the foul pole again.
How can you write a paragraph about Alex Call being a good pick up?
Dunno if you watch much Nationals, but Call is hustle and a team-first guy. Glove plays fine in the OF corners & he seems to hold that ‘identity’ of bench player well, too. If I was a contending team (or a close one) with a corresponding need, I’d be making a call to see what stock would need to be sent over for him. You never can pick a postseason push/series hero. Even if it’s just one AB or any other little thing in baseball that can flip a game. So yeah, I think he’s worth mentioning when the Nats hitters are the whole premise of the article…
Call has been much better than Bell, crews, young and lile. Guess you don’t follow the team very much. As Mr. Pitt said, “He gets on base.”
Gms trying to get one on the interim gm after seeing the angels trade.
You must be seriously deluded in thinking that old scrapheap pitchers have any value. But then, if you’re a Rex Hudler fan, you’re probably an Angels fan, so delusion goes with the territory, I suppose
@yeastinfection. I haven’t talked about the x-mo yet or smoked the lettuce. Do you even know who they gave up?. Garcia netted the angels 4 prospects last year.I dont care about the age. I bet you my cardboard box. Eder and brown will be released next year. The return was very light, and its also coming from a team with a weak farm system and eder was claimed off waivers.
Triston Casas for *insert fart noises* and Josh Bell.
PLEASE
Lowe was a Ranger, not a Astro
Nathaniel Lowe played for Texas, not Houston like stated in the fourth paragraph.
Nats gonna keep trading away Luis Garcias until they run out.
Garcia Jr could fit in Milwaukee and allow Turang to play ss when he starts. Upgrades the lineup if the cost in a trade is something like Garcia Jr for Tyler Black and Carlos Rodriquez.
Don’t the brewers want someone good?
Hate to break it to you “experts” but Nathanial Lowe never played for Houston
” Notably, Bell’s numbers feature substantial splits. He’s posted a 120 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year, compared to a wRC+ of just 30 against lefties.”
77 plate appearances against lefties.
Vs lefty splits are basically always going to be a small sample.
In his 77 PA he has 10 walks (13%) and 20 strike outs (26%). Nothing egregious to suggest he’s really a 30 wRC+ hitter.
He had a similar K/BB ratio last year and had a 94 wRC+ vs leftties.
And in 2023 he had a 132 wRC+ vs lefties and 91 vs righties.
Call would be so much better than Connor Joe
I’d probably rather have Lowe but Bell probably only costs a couple of lotto tickets
Trade them all and shoot your shot at some underperforming pitching prospects from some contenders. Our farm system is garbage presently and could use some upgrades. Losing Sykora for the next 18 months definitely hurts.
“Meanwhile” has to START the sentence, not come in its middle, between commas.