The disastrous Josh Bell trade finally came to an end with the last player leaving the Pittsburgh Pirates.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates saw the final player of the trade for Josh Bell leave the franchise, marking the end of one of their worst trades in recent history Francys Romero reported that the Washington Nationals signed right-handed pitcher Eddy Yean to a minor league contract, as he was a free agent.
The Washington Nationals signed Dominican right-hander Eddy Yean to a minor league contract, per sources. Yean, 24, spent all of 2025 with Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates system, posting a 3.06 ERA over 70.2 innings. The Pirates traded their first baseman to the Nationals on Dec 24, 2020 for right-handed pitching prospects in Wil Crowe and Yean. This trade came as one of many under general manager Ben Cherington, who undertook a rebuilding strategy following the Pirates posting the worst record in baseball in 2020, 19-41, with the 60-game schedule Other trades the Pirates made during that time included sending right-handed starting pitchers in Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres for five prospects on Jan. 19, 2021 andYean joined the Pirates as a 19-year old out of Sabana Grande de Boya in the Dominican Republic. He originally worked as a starter with Single-A Bradenton, but quickly transitioned to the bullpen, where he stayed with the rest of his time in the Pirates minor league system.Yean spent the next two seasons with High-A Greensboro, posting a 6.75 ERA in 2022 and a 5.01 ERA in 2023, He then got his ERA down to 3.45 in 46 appearancs with Double-A Altoona in 2024 and then to a career-low 3.06 with Triple-A Indianapolis this past season. Yean struggled with command, not making many strikeouts for a reliever, and giving up far too many hits. The lowest opposing batting average he had during his time in the Pirates system was with Bradenton in 2021 at .224. He posted a .292 opposing batting average in both 2022 and 2023 with Greensboro, then .266 the past two seasons at Altoona and Indianapolis. Yean also didn't have a K/9 higher than 10.00 past Greesboro in 2022, which marks strikeouts averaged over nine innings, with a 7.87 K/9 in 2023, a 8.28 K/9 in 2024 and a 6.88 K/9 in 2025. He gave up far too many walks as well, allowing 45 walks to 54 strikeouts in 2025 for a poor 1.20 K/BB , the lowest of his career. Yean, as a result, was never effective as a closer, with 20 saves in 33 opportunities over his five seasons in the minors. His WHIP also was far too high for a good relief pitcher, with the lowest at 1.32 in 2024 and the highest around 1.71 with Greensboro in 2022. Yean elected free agency after the season, as he was eligible for it, following six full seasons in the minor leagues, and will hope his second tenure with the Nationals will lead him to making the MLB roster.Crowe spent two full seasons with the Pirates, both of which didn't bring back much value for the franchise. Apr 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Wil Crowe pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images He served as a starting pitcher in 2021, with 25 starts in 26 appearances, a 5.48 ERA over 116.2 innings pitched, a 4-8 record, 111 strikeouts to 57 walks, a .276 opposing batting average and a 1.57 WHIP. Crowe then transitioned to the bullpen for the 2022 season, where he posted a 6-10 record over 60 appearances, a 4.38 ERA over 76.0 innings pitched, 68 strikeouts to 38 walks, a .235 opposing batting average and a 1.39 WHIP. He only pitched in five games for the Pirates in 2023, before dealing with right shoulder discomfort, which sent him on rehab assignments, before the Pirates designated Crowe for assignment on July 19 then released him on Nov. 16. Crowe pitched for the Kia Tigers in the KBO League in South Korea in 2024 and spent time in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system this season, before announcing his retirement.Bell never quit became the star slugger with the Pirates that they wanted when they signed him for a record $5 million bonus in the 2011 MLB Draft, but he still had He played five years for the Pirates from 2016-20, slashing .261/.349/.466 for an OPS of .814 in 552 games, with 496 hits, 105 doubles, 13 triples, 86 home runs, 309 RBis and 260 walks to 417 strikeouts. Bell had his best season in 2019, slashing .302/.376/.648 for an OPS of 1.024 before the All-Star Break, with 102 hits, 30 double, three triple, 27 home runs and 84 RBIs. Aug 31, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell runs out his solo home run in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images His play earned him his sole All-Star nod and an appearance at the Home Run Derby, where he didn't make it past the first round. Bell had great success with the Nationals in 2021 and 2022, with 47 home runs over 247 games, plus winning a Silver Slugger Award in 2022. He moved around to different teams, including the Juan Soto trade to the Padres in 2022, signed with the Cleveland Guardians ahead of the 2023 season, went to the Miami Marlins in a trade that year, joined the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade at the 2024 deadline and re-signed with the Nationals for last season. Bell has posted a 5.7 WAR in the five seasons since leaving the Pirates, who struggled finding a first baseman in his place. The Pirates have had a different main starter at first baseman since Bell's trade. This includes Colin Moran for 84 games in 2021, Michael Chavis for 107 games in 2022, Carlos Santana for 83 games in 2023,Santana and Horwitz had successful tenures, 1.5 WAR and 1.6 WAR respectively, but Moran, Chavis and Tellez finished with a negative WAR, combining for a 2.2 WAR for main Pirates first baseman starters since 2021 Cherington made the right decision for rebuilding, but this trade didn't work out for the Pirates at all.in baseball games, to the Guardians for Horwitz, is fairing much better, as the Pirates now have a competent, starting first baseman for the future, if he staysDominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin's Sons Make 1st Red Carpet AppearanceJosh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin brought sons Oliver and Hugo to their first red carpet at the 'Zootopia 2' premiere
Read more »
Cy Young Award Nets Pirates' Paul Skenes Sweet IncentivePittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes won the Cy Young Award and earned even more afterwards.
Read more »
Josh Williams, DGM Racing to Reunite on Multi-Year AgreementJosh Williams and DGM Racing are getting back together for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign and beyond.
Read more »
Cavs fan celebrates 12th birthday ringing cancer-free bell at gameChaife Jackson rang the cancer-free bell at the end of the first quarter in front of a packed Cavs crowd at Rocket Arena Thursday night.
Read more »
Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas' kids make first-ever red carpet appearance at 'Zootopia 2' premiereTaylor Swift’s mom, Andrea, opens up about Travis Kelce in the new Eras Tour doc trailer, calling him a source of “happiness” for her daughter. Meanwhile, the Kardashians are reportedly fuming over Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stealing the spotlight from Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday… and deleting photos to keep the peace with the royals.
Read more »
Perfect Week 11 FanDuel Lineup Projects Huge Weeks for Josh Jacobs, George KittlePlay Daily Fantasy Football on FanDuel in Week 11. The slate includes some high-scoring gems, such as Josh Jacobs and George Kittle.
Read more »