Pittsburgh Pirates' Josh Bell watches his fly out to right field to end the baseball game against the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded slugging first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals for a pair of pitching prospects.

Bell, a first baseman, produced his best season with the Pirates in 2019, hitting 37 homers and driving in 116 runs while hitting .277. He slumped badly during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He is 28 years old.

The Pirates received right-handed pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean in the deal. Crowe, 26, is ranked as Washington’s third-best prospect. He was 7-10 with a 4.70 earned run average in 26 starts between Class AA and AAA in 2019. Yean, 19, was Washington’s eighth-best prospect. He had 75 strikeouts in 21 appearances since turning pro in 2018.

This is a breaking news report — read more in Sunday's Butler Eagle.