SAN FRANCISCO – There was, understandably, some level of disappointment when the Nationals did not find any suitors for Josh Bell and Paul DeJong at the trade deadline.

The two veterans were signed to one-year deals prior to the season with the hopes they would help complement a roster full of young players and lead them to a surprising run at contention. And if the team didn’t win, at least they’d both be attractive options for actual contenders come July 31.

That, of course, didn’t happen. Bell got off to a terrible start to his season before slowly climbing his way back in recent months. DeJong suffered a terrifying injury in April when he was struck on the face by a fastball and only recently returned to the active roster. Teams seeking help for the stretch run didn’t view either of them as worthy acquisitions, so it’s entirely reasonable to view that conclusion as a failure on the Nationals’ part.

Not that everyone with the organization was disappointed by the lack of trades.

“I’m kind of selfish about that, because you want to have some veterans on the team like that who can guide and lead the young talent that we have,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “I was kind of hoping that they didn’t go anywhere, because the way they go about their business is amazing. They’re like true leaders, the way they work, how they engage the young players to do their work and their job. I’m glad they’re here, and you can see what they can do.”

Bell and DeJong may not figure into the Nats’ long-term plans, and the priority for the remainder of the 2025 season must be on younger players who could be here in the future. But both do still have something to offer, and both showed it over the weekend at Oracle Park.

Bell was the team’s most productive hitter during the three-game series, reaching base in 9-of-12 plate appearances, ripping two doubles and a homer. DeJong, filling in at second base while Luis Garcia Jr. dealt with a minor back injury, went 5-for-10 with a homer and three RBIs, all while playing solid defense up the middle.

“Just staying in the flow of the game, enjoying the process,” DeJong said of his impressive series. “I’m having fun with my teammates. A beautiful couple of day games here in San Francisco. I just think it’s a fun place to play, and I think we all enjoyed being out there for the three hours we were out there.”

With Brady House now entrenched at third base, DeJong has lost what was supposed to be his everyday job entering the season. He’s still finding playing time at three infield positions, including his first real playing time at second base since he was a rookie with the Cardinals in 2017. He’s also been getting some pregame work in at first base, just in case a situation arises where he is needed there.

The 32-year-old may not be helping a contender, but he’s not disappointed to be helping a young team navigate its way through the final two months of a frustrating season.

“We’ve been traded before, so you know what to expect when that deadline comes,” he said. “But as it came and went, we kind of turned the page. Now we’ve got two great months with this team here to show what we can do to set ourselves up for next year.”

Bell knows all well what it’s like to be dealt. He was on the move each of the last three trade deadlines, from the Nationals to the Padres in 2022, from the Guardians to the Marlins in 2023, from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks in 2024. It figured to happen again this summer in his return to Washington, but his early season slump and limited defensive skills probably kept him off other teams’ wish lists.

So instead Bell is contributing to the Nats for a while longer, and he’s contributing as much as anyone else on the roster these days. As bad as things looked in May, when his batting average was down to .130 and his OPS bottomed out at .503, he has completely resurrected his season. Over his last 69 games, he’s batting .288 with an .845 OPS.

As a result, Bell now owns a .731 OPS for the season, higher than the major league average of .718. He joked a few weeks ago about his desire to “drive for seven” as he tried to lift his OPS beyond the .700 mark for the first time. Now he’s got even loftier goals.

“It feels good. I still have a long way to go,” he said. “I’m trying to push for eight now, so a long way to go. But I’m just trying to fight the good fight every at-bat and string some quality at-bats together, and then hopefully have the results out there as well.”

And while the notion of having a shot at reaching the postseason with another team might have sounded a bit enticing, deep down Bell is happy he’s still a National.

“I know my wife was happy. She didn’t have to uproot the fam,” he said. “You can never take any game for granted in the big leagues. Whether I’m here or somewhere else, I’m always thankful to have an opportunity to play. But not getting that call … I know the last 10 minutes before the deadline, my wife and I were just looking at each other, hoping that the phone didn’t ring. It worked out for us. And hopefully I can finish out strong and teach these young bucks how to play the game.”