Free agency can put players in a weird bind, setting them up to struggle to find the right place for them to continue their MLB careers. But for third baseman Josh Donaldson, he has been on a voyage full of hills and valleys throughout his professional career.
Donaldson currently finds himself a free agent after putting up big-time numbers in his lone season as the hot-corner specialist for the Atlanta Braves. While the National League East divisional champs still have interest in a reunion, Donaldson’s list of suitors seems to be growing by the day.
With Anthony Rendon signing a monster deal to go out west and play for the Los Angeles Angels for the next seven seasons, Donaldson now represents the best third baseman left out on the market for teams to bid for.
Besides a reunion with the Braves, the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Washington Nationals, according to Jon Heyman, look to be the most invested in the chase for Donaldson, as Heyman names both the Nationals and Dodgers as the two likeliest candidates to sign Donaldson.
Of the noted teams, the Phillies have spent the most amount of money in the past few seasons and seem to be committed to buying their way to a championship, which has its obvious issues, as was evident last season.
The best fits for Donaldson look to be the Nationals, Braves, and Dodgers, which just so happen to all be contending teams in the National League. A union with the defending champs would set him up to be plugged into the role the departed Rendon held; a return to the Braves would help the upstart team continue to be dominant; and a trip out west to join the Dodgers would put him in the limelight while forcing the hand of the Dodgers to reinvent the current status of their roster.
Looking at the Nationals for 2020, the big hole Rendon left could be seamlessly filled by Donaldson; although a few offensive lineup changes will need to be altered to match the talents of Donaldson and how he meshes with the current roster. With Ryan Zimmerman still unsigned, this team is lacking offensive firepower at first and third base, which promises Donaldson a lot more opportunities at the plate.
To return to the Braves, Donaldson would most likely need to take a pay cut and sign a shorter deal, as they have been on record, more than suggesting they do not wantto get in a bidding war for his services. But this presents him a great opportunity to slide back into a role that he is familiar with, all while rejoining an uber-competitive team hungry to make the 2019 NL playoffs a thing of the past.
Atlanta’s roster is mostly comprised of young players who are on cheaper deals, making any sort of a larger deal that much easier for the team to deal with. Donaldson’s familiarity with the Braves is a great way for the team to get in good with him during negotiations. However, after having signed a one-year agreement for $23 million last offseason with Atlanta, he is looking for his payday, which should be easy to find.
Donaldson’s case for signing with the Dodgers is a big more difficult to fully vet out, as the incumbent third baseman, Justin Turner, would need to move over to first base to make this deal work. If Turner were to transition over across the diamond, then that would limit the innings for Cody Bellinger, the 2019 NL Most Valuable Player, outside of playing right field, which would not be the worst thing for this team moving forward.
This would also make Joc Pederson expendable for the team. He has been included in some trade talks, with the Chicago White Sox one of the teams that have been rumored to be interested in trading for Pederson.
For any team looking to secure Donaldson’s services for the next four-plus seasons, they need to be comfortable offering him at least $90 million, with the potential to go nine figures.
Donaldson looks to be the best remaining free agent on the market. Any team that decides to bring him in will be getting a smart veteran presence who looks to have found his stuff yet again. While his offense is the biggest aspect of his game, he is no slouch on the defensive side of the ball, making him one of the few veteran two-way players who can immediately give any team five more wins than they earned the previous season without Donaldson on the roster.
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