The Nationals acquired Pirates first baseman Josh Bell for two pitchers, Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean:

“We are thrilled to be adding a player of Josh Bell’s caliber to our team,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “He adds a switch-hitting power bat to our lineup. And we know Josh will be an outstanding addition to our clubhouse and our community.”

ESPN.com

I believe there is some question as to whether the term “power bat” really applies to Bell. His first three seasons in the majors, 2016-2018, he produced a good batting average and an excellent OBP, with a .260/.348/.436 slash line. He did not strike out much, which helped with the batting average, but did not help with the power. His home numbers blossomed in 2019 without a big rise in his K rate. In 2020 his strikeout rate went way up, his walk rate went down, and all his extra-base hit number plummeted. It’s almost as if in 2020 he was trying to hit home runs, and wound up striking out. His plate discipline numbers show him swinging less, but making much less contact on those swings.

The Nationals hope this is just a small sample size aberration, or a flaw that the Nationals coaches can fix. I suspect Bell will hit better than 2020 but not quite as good as 2019. He should be a solid player at the position for Washington, even if he just gets back his OBP.

Crowe at this point is too old to be considered a prospect. He posted a low for the era 7.5 K per 9 in the minors, but that didn’t lead to a lot of hits. He should be someone the Pirates can use right away. Yean will play as a 20 year old in 2021, and only has 90 professional inning under his belt. He did allow just four home runs in those innings, however. It will be a while before we know if this was a good trade for both teams.