Trea Turner’s response to the Nationals trading for Josh Bell was right in line with what the rest of us are thinking.
Nationals fans have sat idly by this offseason as general manager Mike Rizzo has signed depth player after reclamation project to minor league contracts. Can you imagine how the current Nationals players have felt during this time?
After a season where they finished in the basement of the National League East (okay, tied with the Mets for last, alphabetically speaking Washington sat on the cellar floor), reinforcements were promised to be on the way.
The first arrived in Josh Bell.
Trea Turner approved.
https://twitter.com/treavturner/status/1342188367807713285
The bomb emoji. By definition the bomb emoji is used as a symbol for everything mind-blowing, loud, dangerous, and crazy. That Nats said they were going to go after a big bat, the move should not have caught anyone off guard. The big bat they acquired, did.
Bell’s bat is loud. Bell’s bat is dangerous. The bomb emoji was spot on. However, I prefer to read into this Turner is stoked to watch Josh Bell drop bombs. Hopefully watch Bell do his thing, while Turner is on base, trotting across home plate ahead of the Nationals newest addition.
Regardless of the way it was intended, the message was clear. The longest tenured position player (until Ryan Zimmerman is re-signed), and one of the main leaders of the team is revved up about this transaction.
If he weren’t, would he tweet about it? No, of course not. He wouldn’t tweet at all. The anti-fraternize rules in baseball no longer exist. These players know one another on the field and off, with social media outlets emphasizing the relationships. Turner knows Bell is good for the on-field product as well as the being a good fit in the clubhouse.
As fans of the Nationals, we were happy to see this move. A team with the worst minor league system in the majors trading a couple of prospects for a proven major league player. A win-now move which will make the team immediately better.
As fans of the Nationals, we should be glad to see Trea Turner offer a response as well.