Just last week at Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings, Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll spoke of seeking “another bat or two with some thump,” to add to the lineup. On Monday, the Twins achieved that, agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option with veteran first baseman Josh Bell, a source confirmed.
Washington Nationals’ Josh Bell celebrates his home run as he rounds the bases during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Bell, 33, played in 140 games for the Washington Nationals last season, hitting .237 with a .741 OPS., 22 home runs and 63 runs batted in. A switch-hitter with some power, his 110 OPS+ last season was 10% better than league average.
The 10-year veteran, Bell began his major league career in Pittsburgh in 2016 and overlapped there for a season with new Twins manager Derek Shelton in 2020.
He’s since bounced around between the Nationals, Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, playing for all five teams in the past four seasons.
In his 10 major league seasons, Bell has 193 home runs, including more than 20 in five separate seasons. He hit a career-high 37 in 2019, the year he was named to his first and only All-Star team. In 2022, he won a Silver Slugger Award.
The Twins have had a revolving door at first base in recent years, signing veteran free agents Joey Gallo (2023), Carlos Santana (2024) and Ty France (2025) to fill the position in recent years. Bell, who should also see some time at designated hitter, becomes the latest free-agent addition to add to that list.
By the end of last season, after France had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Twins were primarily using Kody Clemens at first base with Edouard Julien seeing some time there, as well. Signing Bell allows the Twins to utilize Clemens in a utility role. Besides first base, Clemens also appeared at second and in the outfield for the Twins last season.
The Bell signing is the Twins’ first major-league free agent addition this winter. After conversations with ownership earlier this offseason, Twins president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey got the go ahead to make additions to the roster rather than subtract important pieces to further reduce payroll.
“We still believe that there’s a pretty good core here that we can find a way to supplement and go compete,” Falvey said last week. “I think that we’re going to figure out ways that we can add around this team to make it the most competitive team that we can be in ’26.”
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