Here’s what The Athletic’s Chad Jennings had to say about the Red Sox’ potential interest in Bell:
For a manager like Alex Cora, a switch hitter could open any number of batting order possibilities. As usual, though, it’s a question of price. The Red Sox have a pretty good lineup as it is. Would Bell extend the gap between them and the rest of the teams besides the Yankees in the American League East? How much of the future would Chaim Bloom sacrifice for such a two-month upgrade for a wild-card spot?
Bloom hasn’t exactly operated like a GM (sorry, Chief Baseball Officer) who’s looking to make a relatively big move. Bell seems likely to be traded somewhere, and while the move won’t be seismic in nature, Bell is good enough to deliver an appreciable boost in production for a team in need of a productive first baseman. But it’s hard to believe that Bloom is willing to part with what it might take to bring Bell to Boston.
The Red Sox would certainly rank at or near the top of the league in the “needs a first baseman” department. They are dead-last in baseball with a .604 OPS by first basemen. That simply shouldn’t be an acceptable standard for a franchise like the Red Sox.
And yet, Bloom seems more interested in making another one of his patented buy-low moves. They’ve reportedly talked to the Mets about first baseman Dominic Smith, who two years ago finished 13th in MVP voting, but has since bounced back and forth between the majors and the minors. Smith is batting .194 with zero home runs and a .560 OPS so far in the 2022 season.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 25: Dominic Smith #2 of the New York Mets gestures to his teammates after he hit a game-winning walk off single in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game one of a doubleheader at Citi Field on June 25, 2021 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Phillies 2-1 (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
