The Marlins announced the acquisition of first baseman from the Guardians. Cleveland agreed to take on the contract ofinfielder whom they intend to release while acquiring infield prospect . Its an out-of-the-blue swap that continues a surprisingly active day for the Marlins. Miami shipped out pitching prospect to install at the hot corner. That apparently set the stage for them to move on from Segura, whose two-year free agent contract didnt work at all as the club had envisioned. That was a means of adding offense at one corner infield spot. Theyll hope for the same acro s the diamond, as they swapped in Bell for . Miami their incumbent first baseman to the Padres for starting pitcher . The series of moves results in a buy-low flier on Bell. As with Segura, he signed an ill-fated two-year free agent deal last offseason. The Guardians guaranteed the switch-hitter a two-year, $33MM pact. He can opt out of the deal at the end of the first season. Its all but a given hell elect to play out the contract given the way in which his time in Cleveland transpired. Bell is hitting .233/.318/.383 over 393 trips to the plate. His 10.9% walk percentage and 20 Gorgui Dieng Jersey .6% strikeout rate are both solid, but his batted ball results are middling. Bell has managed just 11 home runs and a .272 batting average on balls in play. As has been an i sue throughout his career, hes had a tough time elevating the ball. Bell is putting the ball on the ground at a lofty 48.5% clip, an obviously suboptimal number for a player whose game is built around power. Still, the high grounder tallies are nothing new. Hes had plenty of succe s in spite of a propensity for low-angle contact. He combined for a .264/.355/.448 line in more than 1200 plate appearances between 2021-22. At his best, hes a middle-of-the-order caliber bat. Miami will obviously hope for a return to form in a new environment. Miami general manager Kim Ng and her staff clearly believe theres more untapped potential remaining for Bell than with Segura. The Fish had signed the longtime second baseman to a two-year, $17MM pact with a plan to bump him to third base. It was a risk defensively that hasnt paid off, as the veteran received well below-average marks for his 720 1/3 innings at the hot corner. More concerning, Segura didnt bring anything approaching his previous offensive form. Hes long been a slightly above-average hitter, combining double-digit homer power with excellent contact skills. This was his worst offensive season, however, as he managed only a .219/.277/.279 showing through 326 plate appearances as a Marlin. Seguras underlying offensive marks arent that far off those of previous seasons. His 38.8% hard contact rate is a near match for last years mark. Thats also true of his 6.7% walk percentage and 14.4% strikeout rate. Seguras results simply werent up to par and the Fish elected to move on. Given that Cleveland is immediately releasing Segura, his inclusion in the trade is strictly a financial measure. Bell is making $16.5MM this season and next. Segura is making $6.5MM this year and $8.5MM next season, as well as a $2MM buyout on a 2025 option. Bell is owed roughly $5.41MM through seasons end; Segura will make $2.13MM down the stretch. Miami takes on roughly $3.28MM this year and $6MM beyond this season to upgrade from Segura to Bell. Segura will go unclaimed on release waivers in the next couple days. The Guardians will pay out almost all of his remaining contract. Once he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, Segura will be free to choose his next employer. That signing team would only pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum for whatever time he spends on a big league roster over the next season and a half. In addition to the financial relief, the Guardians are buying low on a one-time top prospect. Watson, a 20-year-old infielder, was the 16th overall pick in the 2021 draft. The high school product was widely regarded as a top five to ten player in the cla s on talent, only dropping to the middle of the first round because of a lofty bonus demand. His first two full seasons in pro ball havent gone as anticipated. Watson struck out in nearly 36% of his plate appearances in Low-A a year ago, hitting .231/.296/.395 over 83 games. He also mi sed some time last season on a team-imposed disciplinary absence after a confrontation with an umpire, as wrote in his write-up of Miamis farm system. Watson still ranked in the upper third of the Marlins top 30 prospects at both FanGraphs and Baseball America, though hes no longer seen as a top 100 talent around the league. Hes hitting .206/.337/.362 over 243 trips to the plate in High-A this year. Hes connected on seven homers, walked at an elite 14.4% clip and stolen 14 bases. Yet hes still striking out an alarming rate 28% of the time.Theres clearly plenty of variability in Watsons profile, but he has huge bat speed and the chance to stick at a middle infield position. Its an upside play for Cleveland at a much lower cost than wouldve been required to pry him away 12 to 18 months ago. first reported the Marlins were acquiring Bell. reported the Guardians werereceiving Seguraand Watson. reported the Guardians planned torelease Segura. Images courtesy of USA TodaySports. Justin Holiday Jersey