For the third straight season, the Twins are bringing in a starting first baseman through free agency, agreeing to a one-year contract with Josh Bell on Monday.
Bell is joining his sixth team since in the last five years, and his contract will guarantee him $7 million, two people familiar with the contract told the Minnesota Star Tribune. He will receive a $5.5 million base salary in 2026 and a $250,000 signing bonus. There is a $1.25 million buyout on a 2027 mutual option.
Bell, a 33-year-old switch hitter, batted .237 with 22 homers and 63 RBI in 140 games with the Washington Nationals last season.
The Twins sought a power hitter this offseason, and first base was the biggest hole on the roster. Kody Clemens and Edouard Julien, both left-handed hitters, were the top internal candidates at the position. Bell has hit at least 20 homers in five seasons and he won a National League Silver Slugger award in 2022 when he played for the Nationals and San Diego Padres.
At the winter meetings last week, Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said they were seeking “another bat or two with some thump, with some impact.” Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner were the team’s only hitters with more than 20 homers while Buxton, Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach were the only ones with more than 60 RBI.
Bell has rated poorly defensively over the last three seasons, and he started 97 games at designated hitter for the Nationals last year (with only 32 starts at first base). The Twins will likely have him split time between the two positions.
The Twins signed Carlos Santana as their starting first baseman in 2024 and Ty France in 2025, and they each won a Gold Glove award. Clemens rated strongly defensively when he became the regular starter at first base in the second half of the season.
The Twins were one of four teams that had yet to sign a major league free agent this winter, along with the Nationals, Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies, until Bell agreed to his deal.
