5 worst Guardians free agent signings of the Chris Antonetti era 

3. Josh Bell 

After riding a wave of bloop singles and timely hitting to a postseason berth in 2022, Antonetti signed the slugging Bell to a two-year, $33 million contract ahead of the 2023 season. 

Although he finished the second half of the 2022 season with a .192 batting average in 53 games, he had won the National League Silver Slugger on the back of a strong first half with the Washington Nationals. 

But that slow second half turned out to be a harbinger of what was to come in 2023, as Bell struggled out of the gate and was hitting just .233 with 97 games at the end of August. 

That proved to be the final month of Bell’s tenure with the Guardians, as Antonetti traded Bell to the Marlins at the deadline in exchange for outfield prospect Kahlil Watson (sensing a trend here?) 

While Bell’s time with the Guardians was a huge disappointment, getting Watson back in return from him is looking like a huge win. He hit 16 home runs in the minors last season and was added to the 40-man roster this offseason.