The Cleveland Guardians have signed Josh Bell to a two-year contract.
Last Tuesday when reports surfaced that the Guardians had signed free agent Josh Bell, Terry Francona spoke "hypothetically" on how great it would be to bring in someone with his talent. Obviously, he wasn't able to use Bell's name until there was ink on the paper.
Now, Tito can use Bell's name all he wants because Cleveland has officially signed Bell to a two-year contract with an opt-out after the 2023 season. The organization made it official on Monday afternoon.
Bell is poised to have a big season in 2023. He's coming a year when he had a career-high 147 hits with the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres. Even though he split time between two teams, Bell was also able to grab his first-ever Silver Slugger Award as a designated hitter.
In 2022 he batted .266 with 29 doubles, and three triples while slugging 17 home runs and 71 RBI.
This offensive production is precisely why the Guardians wanted to bring him in and Bell will fit perfectly on this team.
Bell's impact isn't limited to the diamond either, he has a history of getting very involved in the community he's in. He was the Pittsburg Pirates' Roberto Clemente Award in 2020 and Washington's in 2022. He takes it upon himself to influence the youth of whatever city he's a part of which led him to receive the "Good-Guy" award given by the Washington D.C. media after the 2021 season.
It'll make him much easier to root for him on the field knowing everything he does off of it.
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