Josh Donaldson Signs A One-Year Deal With The Atlanta Braves

HOT STOVE SEASON IS BACK, BABY! For years, we’ve been eyeing this 2019 free agent class as one of the biggest classes of all-time. That hype has since fizzled out quite a bit due to the fact that many of the players on that list have fizzled out themselves. Josh Donaldson, for sure, has not “fizzled out” by any means, but injuries have really impacted teams’ willingness to go beyond a one-year commitment to the former league MVP. Thus, he gets a one-year deal from the Atlanta Braves, but the dollar amount they certainly didn’t skimp out on. Donaldson gets $23 million next year to join and young and exciting Braves team.

Last year, Johan Camargo played 109 games at third base for the Braves and hit .284 with an .843 OPS while manning the hot corner, but the addition of Donaldson allows Atlanta to move the 25-year-old to several other positions on the diamond. In addition to playing third base, Camargo also played three games at second base and 18 games at shortstop. They could also try him out in the outfield come spring training and have him serve in a super utility role that would still get him north of 500 plate appearances if he’s open to playing multiple positions.

But the big reason why Donaldson only got a one-year deal, as we mentioned, is quite simple — health concerns. The three-time All Star has spent significant time on the disabled list over the last two seasons with shoulder and calf injuries. After averaging 157 games over four seasons from 2013 through 2016, Donaldson played in 113 games in 2017 and just 52 games this past season. The shoulder and calf injuries obviously impacted Donaldson’s performance in 2018, but the soon to be 33-year-old hit .280 with a .920 OPS in 60 plate appearances after being dealt to the Cleveland Indians, proving that he can still do some serious damage when he’s healthy.

The Baby Braves arrived a year early, as not many expected them to sniff a playoff run in 2018, never mind win the NL East. Now they’ve got some playoff experience under their belt, and the Donaldson signing says to us that not only are they ready to return to the postseason next year, but a first-round exit is not an acceptable finish to the 2019 Braves’ season. If you’re a Braves fan, the idea of a lineup that features Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson has to make you feel some type of way.