Former Pirate landing with Twins doesn't matter because reunion was never a fit

The moment Josh Bell’s name popped up on the transaction wire, Pirates fans did what Pirates fans always do: glanced at the roster, squinted at the depth chart, and wondered if a reunion made sense.

Put simply, it didn’t. And it never really did.

Bell agreeing to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins might trigger a little nostalgia — the switch-hitting days, the 2019 first half, the idea of a familiar face stabilizing the middle of the lineup — but let’s be honest: this was never a fit for where the Pirates are supposed to be headed.

The Pirates do need help at first base and DH. That part is undeniable. Spencer Horwitz can hit. He controls the zone. He gives professional at-bats. But he also has one very obvious limitation: he struggles mightily against left-handed pitching. That’s fine — lots of hitters do — as long as you pair him with the right counterpart.

Bell is not that counterpart.

This is the part that keeps getting glossed over whenever Bell’s name gets floated back into Pittsburgh. Yes, he’s a switch-hitter. No, that does not automatically make him a platoon solution. Bell’s splits against left-handed pitching have been an issue for years. The bat speed isn’t what it used to be. The contact quality dips. The power that once played from both sides now shows up in streaks, not reliably.

Pairing Bell with Horwitz would have been redundancy, not balance. They are two bats that want to face right-handers, two bats you’d hesitate to trust late in games against lefty relievers, two bats that don’t solve the Pirates’ most obvious offensive flaw: their inability to punish left-handed pitching.

That’s the bigger picture here. This lineup doesn’t need vibes. It needs answers.

A Josh Bell reunion was never the answer to Pirates' offensive struggles

Pirates fans have lived through enough “comfortable” moves to know how this movie ends. The Bell reunion would’ve felt right — familiar, safe, emotionally easy — but roster construction isn’t supposed to be sentimental. It’s supposed to be intentional. And if Ben Cherington is serious about upgrading the offense instead of just rearranging it, this wasn’t the move.

There’s also the defensive and roster flexibility angle. Bell is essentially locked into first base and DH at this stage of his career. He’s not moving around the diamond. He’s not giving you matchup creativity. He’s not unlocking anything new. And that’s not what this team needs from a veteran addition.

The Twins signing Bell actually reinforces the point. Minnesota needs innings-eating bats and switch-hitting depth. They’re looking for stability. The Pirates are supposed to be looking for leverage –– someone who tilts matchups and who makes opposing managers think twice before going left-on-left late in games. That guy is a right-handed bat (or at least a hitter who actually hits lefties). Bell has not been that guy in a long time.

And let’s address the elephant in the room: the Pirates don’t need another move that invites fans to say, “Well, at least it’s something.” That bar is underground. If this team is going to take a real step forward offensively, it has to stop chasing familiarity and start chasing fit.

Bell in a Twins uniform isn’t a missed opportunity. It’s a reminder that not every former Pirate needs to come home — especially when the math doesn’t work.

The Pirates still need a 1B/DH complement for Horwitz. They still need someone who can hit left-handed pitching. They still need to add real offense. Bell was never the answer to any of those problems — and that’s why his signing elsewhere ultimately doesn’t matter at all.