The trade market for Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell intensified Monday, and the Mets were not frontrunners to land this particular trade target, according to league sources.
One league source with knowledge of Bell’s market estimated that five teams were pursuing him, the Astros, Brewers and Mets among them, and that Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was focused on completing a deal so he could move on to trading superstar Juan Soto.
The Mets have been in on Bell, but the sense is they have a better chance to land Trey Mancini, C.J. Cron or even Willson Contreras. If Boston decides to sell, J.D. Martinez could also be an option. Depending on whom the Mets land, they could also explore trading newly acquired Daniel Vogelbach, who attracted widespread interest for Pittsburgh last week.
Mets GM Billy Eppler is exploring a multitude of DH options to improve the offense, and Bell remains one of them. Talks simply haven’t gained traction yet, and there’s a sense around the league that Bell is soon to move.