The Minnesota Twins have had commitment issues when it comes to their first basemen over the last handful of years. This offseason was no different, as the Twins signed veteran slugger Josh Bell to a mercenary one-year deal.
One-year pacts with veterans in the post-prime years of their career have been the norm. In fact, they haven’t had a repeat full-time occupant at first since the great Miguel Sanó in 2020 and 2021. They’ve trotted out a parade of solid contributors including Ty France, Carlos Santana and Donovan Solano among many other bri. Still, none were able to set roots for the club.
So far, Bell’s results have been underwhelming.
The lofty slugger has been a pivotal member of the team’s hot-and-cold offensive contingent in the first third of this season, playing at a near-everyday rate thanks to his switch-hitting ability. But his .212/.283/.347 is among the worst in the league for someone who has received as much playing time as he has been given, and he’s in danger of being yet another one-and-done in Minnesota’s list of first baseman cameos.
But what if Josh Bell has one more midseason adjustment up his sleeve? Time and time again, the veteran slugger has been able to turn on the turbo thrusters midway through the season thanks to some big in-season changes to his approach and mechanics. Can he do it one more time?
Part of the appeal of bringing Bell in for his age-33 season was his impressive second half in 2025, where he hit .267/.353/.489 and was roughly 34% more productive than league average. That clip was particularly encouraging given the slow start to that campaign. The veteran demonstrated his ability to make on-the-fly adjustments and hone his craft midseason.
“I think it was just about not missing balls in my zone. I think when I focus on driving balls to all fields, the at-bat tends to end when it needs to,” Bell told Twins Daily’s John Bonnes during spring training. “Not trying to do too much pre-pitch, understanding if it comes into my zone, you know, I have the strength to get it out of the ballpark.”
However, that strength has been notably absent. Bell is sitting on just five home runs on the year. He’s also seen a sizable dip in his ability to square up on the ball, with fewer barrels so far and a drastic 8% increase in his strikeout rate.
It’s hard to say what another midseason adjustment would even look like for Bell, and to his credit, he’s started to turn a corner over his last two weeks of action. Coming into Tuesday night’s game, Bell had a .279/.309/.451 (108 wRC+) over his last 14 games, and he went on to reach base three more times. Maybe it’s the weather warming up, or some better luck, or perhaps we’re seeing a respected veteran make his move around the outside, like a race car driver coming around the first bend.
Of course, there’s a lot of race left, and Bell has his work cut out for him.
But while his stat line may be riddled with a lot of concerning figures, something that it fails to mention is the leadership role that he’s taken with his new club in the meantime.
“That’s the goal, you know, lead by example, lead by a conversation here or there,” Bell said in spring training. “You know, that’s, I think, what [manager Derek Shelton] wants out of me. So I’m happy to do that.”
You don’t get a reputation of being a good clubhouse guy without that kind of “whatever skip needs” mindset. And that reputation followed Bell into all seven clubhouses he has been part of during his 11-year career. It says a lot about how hot of a commodity a player is when he’s coveted at the trade deadline in three consecutive seasons. And while that streak officially came to an end in 2025, it’s reasonable to suggest that teams may have checked in on his availability while with the Washington Nationals last year.
If Josh Bell has another midseason push this year, it could do two things. It could help propel the Twins offense through a wide-open American League Central race, in which case they might even look to bring him back for another go-around in 2027. Or, it could put his name right back on the trade market come late July, and he’ll be remembered as just another cameo in Minnesota’s revolving door of veteran first baseman mercenaries.
