The Josh Donaldson free-agency derby came to a long-awaited end Wednesday when the star third baseman agreed to a four-year, $92MM contract with the Twins. Previous reports indicated Donaldson’s preference was to re-sign with the Braves, with whom he thrived in 2019, but it doesn’t appear they made a spirited attempt to retain the 34-year-old.
Asked by Alison Mastrangelo of WSB-TV whether Atlanta made him a “competitive” offer, Donaldson said, “No, I mean, they ended up offering me late, like a day or so before.” Donaldson went on to state that he “really enjoyed” his one-year stint with the Braves, whom he called “a good fit for me,” and added that it was “a dream come true to be able to play there.”
Details of Atlanta’s offer to the former MVP are unclear. Regardless, the loss of Donaldson is an enormous blow to the Braves, who are now tasked with replacing one of the foremost players in the game at a time when free-agent choices have greatly decreased. Donaldson was among the Braves’ premier players in 2019, their second straight NL East-winning season, and there’s essentially no way to fill his void via the open market even if the club signs one of the two best bats available in outfielders Nicholas Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna.
For one, neither Castellanos nor Ozuna is in Donaldson’s stratosphere. Furthermore, signing one of the two would still leave the Braves devoid of a high-end option at third base, where they’re currently projected to rely on Johan Camargo and Austin Riley. There are answers on the trade market in the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado and the Cubs’ Kris Bryant – players capable of replicating or bettering Donaldson’s 2019 production – but it doesn’t seem the Braves are prepared to swing a deal for either of them.
Besides the fallout from baseball’s much-publicized sign-stealing fiasco, the Braves’ 3B situation stands as one of the game’s most interesting storylines as spring training nears. They still boast a very talented roster, yet they’re unquestionably weaker after failing to pony up for Donaldson. General manager Alex Anthopoulos is now likely at work to find a hitter with the ability to help make up for Donaldson’s loss, but it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll pull it off before the season begins.
BRINGER OF PURPLE RAIN IN MINNY IS GONNA BE SO GOOD
Time for one of those notorious AA blockbuster shockers! He’s yet to pull that rabbit out of his hat since landing in Atlanta.
I am a cub fan and I hope they keep Bryant just because I’m attached to him even though I admit it’s probably better to trade him. But if somebody does trade for him it’s got to be the Braves. I think as soon as his grievance decision is finally released, they will start considering it again and more than ever.
As soon as it is released, how old is it now…? Don’t hold your breath.
This makes the loss of Donaldson infinitely more frustrating. How do you wait to the last minute to make an offer to such a key piece? I really never saw Anthopolous as this great GM, and now I question his competence.
I don’t think the Braves need to upgrade 3B at all – they have Camargo and Riley.
PLUS, the Nats lost Rendon, Philadelphia is probably a wild card at best and the Mets are still the Mets.
surely plug Riley in at 3B, and in early May try one or both of the top OF prospects (Pache or Waters) and let them excel with so many quality youngsters showing them how.
AA is obviously going to make Paché and Waters force their way up offensively like he’s done with the other young talent. When they’re ready, they’ll be up. This race will be so tight though, we cant really risk creating additional holes in the lineup right from opening day if they’re not ready (and their AAA peripherals and stats paint a picture that they’re not ready)
Youre likely to get league average production from a Duvall/Kakes platoon.. I would atleast hold onto that until one of the two prospects start putting up some loud numbers.
Pache is gonna be a hole himself 😉
Great job. Come in with a last minute low ball offer.
something big is gonna happen
I feel it’s gonna be Betts or Arenado
Neither of those guys is going to get moved any time soon.
I HIGHLY doubt it. I’m expecting an under the radar guy more than I would someone like that… and that’s assuming we even add anyone.
I think the Braves will sign Puig, a more cost effective move. He is no superstar but he has some power and speed. Start the year with Riley and Camargo and see how it goes, one of the two will bounce back. Then you have the prospects and dollars saved from Donaldson to swing a huge deal at the appropriate time. They finished 1st in 2018 without Donaldson and 2019 with Donaldson.
Watch up for Pache and Walters. Almost ready prospects.
I hope the Braves do not sign Puig – he would hose up all that great clubhouse mojo with his “hey notice me” antics. Puig is not about team, he is about me, me, me. He certainly has skills, but keep him out of a good clubhouse.
I honestly think Puig isn’t gonna be very much of an upgrade, if at all, to a Duvall/Markakis platoon (assuming Snitker is strict on the platoon)
Combine that with the $$ it would take to get him and our current payroll state and I don’t feel like it’s even worth it. You’re also going to block one of Paché or Waters down the road when they’re ready for someone that’s not providing strong numbers.
If he stays healthy he’ll have a big year.
Lol no
If he stays healthy he’ll have a big year.
I was hoping that he would be out of the N.L east, (unless it was the mets). I like the Twins, but I would’ve preferred the Rangers go after him harder. I do not think he will regress as much as people make it seem, he is aging, but he is still playing terrific defense, and absolutely raking. Go watch some videos of him describing his hitting approach, and he completely turns the old-school way of hitting on it’s head.
google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s…
I think this shows his true knowledge of the game, and he is going to last.
So the Braves didn’t make him a competitive offer and made him no offers until the last day or two? To me that says they never really tried to bring him back but wanted to be able to say, “but, but, but we tried. We made him an offer.”
No where in the article says that they made him no offers until the last day of two. The gave him a low ball offer at first, and they made him what he considered a competitive offer at the last minute.
Read it again. Donaldson himself literally said they only made an offer a few days before he signed.
Asked by Alison Mastrangelo of WSB-TV whether Atlanta made him a “competitive” offer, Donaldson said, “No, I mean, they ended up offering me late, like a day or so before.”
Article should be titled “Lack of pursuit” by ATL.
If Atl didn’t pursue him to some extent…but they did so the article wasn’t titled as such. You could have said “Josh Donaldson pursued more money” but that doesn’t fit the “cheap, lying, evil Braves” narrative entitled fans wish to prostrate themselves upon I suppose.
Haniger and Seager for Soroka and Inciarte
Hell no
Lol might as well have said freeman instead of Inciarte, phone slam sound would be just as hard. Obviously don’t know soroka is the only shut down consistent pitcher the braves have..
IF traded, Seager’s option would kick in, so I would imagine SEA would need to kick in some money. If by doing that, combining him with Haniger, you’d still see a substantial return headlined possibly by Waters/Wright or Wilson.
SEA would contribute less dollars if they took Inciarte back with his team-friendly deal, but still unload Seager’s deal, so then you’d have something like Wright or Wilson, Inciarte, Contreras
Can you not post links here? If not sorry cause I posted a link to Donaldson’s hitting tips and now the comment is not here. Not trying to do harm.
Brian Anderson would be a pretty good fit. It might cost the Braves Riley but will be cheaper than whatever they would have to pay for Bryant or Arenado. I’ll bet Anderson would be 80
per cent as good as those guys at half the cost.
He’s a nice player but I think he would cost more than you think. Almost a 4 war player last year, young, and under control through 2023. Why would the marlins want to swap him for Riley?
I didn’t mean Riley alone would do it. Bur maybe Riley and a couple of top-notch, nearly ready pitching prospects would. That’s still way less than what they’d have to give up for Arenado or Bryant.
marlins are not about to trade within the division
It’s okay Braves’ fans. You’ll see Donaldson again. You’ll see him clobbering you in the World Series. All is good! Kent Hrbek says hi.
No we’ll see him injured and declining as the Twins miss the playoffs after a luck year.
The Lie strikes again. Every comment is pure trash from this guy. I think he’s doing it on purpose!
Mets over Twins in 6. WS. Called it pre donaldson deal.
I think Braves fans would be thrilled if they were the NL team in the world series! Not the best troll post here but good try?!
I wasn’t trolling. Twins-Braves repeat World Series. Why not?
Kent was a very good hitter and a very good leg puller.
lol Hrbek. Seriously the Twins had the better way to cheat, just physically pull the runners of 1B and tag them out. No need for this sign stealing nonsense.
“ One of the foremost players in the game” ? Really? Career avg 24 HR and 73 RBI a year? Wow sounds like a Scott Boras pitch about one of his players.
Wow you count career stats including many years ago before he broke out?
My thumbs are tired and my eyes are bleeding, please let this be the end of it.
JD Drew’s one stop wonder in A-town was still much more fun to watch imho, but who’s keeping score..
Atlanta will NOT be trading for Bryant or Arenado. Here’s why….$$ money $$ . If they couldn’t pony up for Donaldson, a proven commodity in their lineup, they’re in no rush to spend 100 mil or more on a star 3B. They don’t want to spend the money and certainly do not want to spend the prospect capital in a trade either. I would be shocked if they made a deal and if they did a fair question to ask is WHY?! Why wouldn’t you just pay Josh Donaldson? Not happening folks, Riley/Carmago is what you’re getting but you still have a nice team with a loaded farm system.
Paying JD would’ve been idiotic. He’s old and in decline.
6 war player with elite defense, 37 bombs, near .400 on base %, slugging .520+ yeah ok, stats don’t lie but you do!
I’m sure the issue was that 4th year. The Braves gambled that no one else would go 4 years.
The Rangers bailed, the Nats didn’t put a serious offer, the twins blinked first and gave him that 5th year option he wanted.
I’m gonna bet that his option gets picked up and the deal becomes 5/100.
Yikes.
I wouldn’t say they gambled so much as they didn’t play. They didn’t really negotiate. They gave them a number they were comfortable with and didn’t really go to much further than that. There are indications from Bowman that they may have upped their price some, but not in the territory of MIN. The option year was big.
Letting a 34 year old declining injury prone player to is smart. Anyone criticizing the Braves for not giving him 4 years is an idiot.
Saying he’s in decline after the year he just had only makes YOU look like the idiot. Nice try.
The guy is 34 and will be overpaid until he is 38. If you think one bounce back season means he won’t be in decline at his age you are kidding yourself. I’m am not a Twins or Braves fan. Quite frankly, I am indifferent about both teams. I am just viewing this contract realistically and without bias.
injury prone? he had 1 injury.
hes not injury prone at all. He was injured one year you clown
No reason to insult the fantastic Twins organization, The Truth. I do agree the Braves were wise to stand pat with Donaldson but not due to the “injury prone” myth being tossed around on these boards by yourself (mainly) and others. The Twins and their fan base should absolutely enjoy a year or two of a premiere offensive force in Josh and that line up will be fun to watch IF you’re a fan of the game. I personally love baseball first and the Braves second. We will be fine. Josh will be fine. The Twins will be offensively awesome again this year and it’s gonna be fun! Let it go my fellow Braves fan…just let it go.
He didn’t insult the Twins organization. The immature insult was thrown out by Moneyballer.
Thank you 22Leo. I stand corrected. I was setting up my account to reply and mistook his comment. They have been incorrectly labeling Donaldson as “injury prone” which isn’t entirely accurate and has been pointed out before. Let’s hope The truth can also come to terms with their inaccuracies.
AA has been patient, something Wren wasn’t. Braves window is starts soon. Wealth of pitching will be felt this year. Young pitching is most valuable after the pressure of a lost season. A cleanup hitter will be found. Remember jd20 was number 2 hitter to start last year. Let 2020 Braves show their weakness, it can be fixed.
I’m going to play devils advocate here and swallow a bite or two of crow but MAN did I party for a week straight when the Braves brought in Justin and BJ along with uggla under wren’s watch. It didn’t turn out great and handcuffed the team for a bit but man it did feel like winning an offseason and taking a chance for a refreshing change again. I honestly miss that kind of excitement that I can’t put my finger on, fuels the fire of glory on top of the disappointment of the likes of these last two seasons anyway.
These were clearly schuerholz’s final pulls of the strings in the background, but man that guy knew how to bring the excitement to town!
Yeah, as ATL fans we have rode the rollercoaster of reckless, big splash moves like that. They have hopefully taught us (and AA) to be patient.
I felt the same way back then, and I was even at the April 6th 2013 Upton/Upton solo shot game tying and game winning HR game their first week on the Braves… But those bold moves led to us dumping both of them, Andrelton Simmons, and Kimbrel so… I prefer AA’s approach by a lot.
I miss that, too. I’d rather be aggressive and take a shot. Over 10 years, give me a WS or two, and 4-5 winning years, and I’m happy. The team can stink for the other half of the decade. Don’t care. I feel that’s more interesting than 86-76 every year, over 10, and maybe winning a few playoff games.
How the conversation went:
Blah blah blah $$$$$$ blah blah blah $$$$$$ blah blah blah $$$$$$
Trade for Kyle Seager.
Bringer of Rain is now Bringer of Snow.
It’s not the Braves fault Donaldson was seeking a price he wasn’t worth and was making teams sit to reach it while people that could of been signed in his place got signed. Twins were dumb enough to actually overpay him and that is their choice. I applaud the Braves for not giving in, but I do question why they didnt try and sign someone to replace him sooner once it was obvious Donaldson was looking to get overpaid
Read Chandler Parsons interview about his last NBA contact
It does seem like the Twins are significantly overpaying for Donaldson considering his age.
Al advantage at play with donaldson. The dh allows donaldson to rest and provides insurance later on if he cant field well. Al teams get to offer that extra year and a few more at bats here and there. Bottom line though atlanta just did not want to pay, i think jd will do well in minnesota.
Sorry Tommy but you did not miss out on anything waiting for Donaldson –
There hasnt been any options that are better than the in-house players you already have This is just a song your playing in your head. It was JD or as is now all along
The Twins are dumb huh- Do you realize the Twins had less than 50 mill on the books going into the 2021 season? Do you know how hard it is for Minnesota to attract 6 WAr players in free agency? Yet they should take a pass as the defending Div champs with only 50 mill committed out after this year in their prime window of a very weak Div currently?
All because some notion that hes gonna fall off a cliff someday while DH’ing for the Minnesota Twins in 2023
Im sure if you guys signed him on a 3 year deal it would be all rainbows and lollipops but 4 is just the death star right?
Yea I can see your point Tommy, its somewhere between Saturn and Jupiter but I gotta really good telescope for Xmas last year- Quit Hatin
He was almost a 6 WAR player. The Braves low-balled him, significantly. I applaud the Twins for stepping up to the plate. I think he puts up 2 years at the exact same pace, and then maybe starts to slip a bit. I still believe he’ll be a 3-4 WAR player by the end of the contract.
I don’t think the Twins were necessarily dumb in signing Donaldson, even at that length. Their offense in 2020 could be historically amazing. They don’t have a huge window of contention with suspect SP beyond Berrios, Nelson Cruz’s age, and key guys like Buxton (after 2023)/Sano after 2022)/Rosario (after 2022) heading for a pay day in a few years. Even with this signing the Twins basically have an average payroll overall.
Nope, they are still wayyyy below avg even after
With options limited, would the Braves come calling to the Yankees for Miguel Andujar, 2018 rookie of the year runner up, .297 27 homers and 92 RBI to fill their 3rd base void? He is only 25. Has been working out all off season to improve defensively, but think the Yankees are more confident in Gio Urshela at this point. Trade could be expanded to include former top 5 overall pick and Georgia native Clint frazier. He also is just 24 years old and known for being a standout bat, but not great glove. Would think it would take a couple top tier prospects to get these guys and just curious what Brave fans think.
The Braves would be interested in Miggy Andujar, but not so much Frazier due to defense concerns.
Problem is that the Yankees would likely rather let Andujar show he’s healed and truly redundant to their roster first.
Not sure the Braves would offer immediate MLB ready talent for the yanks roster either.
MInnesota Twins 307 home runs in 2019.
In 2020 MInnesota Home runs 307 over or under?
I don’t believe they’ll exceed 307 but they may get close.
Cruz Donny Sano- 35-45 guys
Kepler Rosario Garver/C – 25-30
Polanco Bux -14-22
Bn- Marwin /Cave have power as well
Arraez only real non threat
There def will be some fireworks, they almost feel 80’s Det Tigerish and Im loving it – These Twins are just keeping a more well balanced diet but the philosophy will be the same
Plus if you take Sano’s pace last year after he returned to baseball and add 50 games he would’ve hit over 50 HR. The Twins’ lineup is terrifying if he and everyone else keeps that up.
To continue to be a brave fan you have to either pretend like u didn’t read what he said or call him a liar or accept the fact the people who run the Braves have been lying to everyone all offseason. Wow! What a bunch of corporate disgusting losers !!!
SHAME on any man who defends a corporation at the expense of an individual
The other option is to realistically evaluate the combined strengths and weaknesses of our team and understand that we have younger players to sign and that the “hole” at third isn’t a hole at all. We have confident options to scan during Spring Training and AA has the ability all season long to upgrade if NEEDED. Again, the sky is NOT falling, our farm is spectacular, our commitments to our steadily evolving core of young players is what’s important for long term success. You can hate the corporation, I welcome it, however from AA down the Braves are looking pretty great, imo.
So you pretended like he didn’t say what he was just quoted saying. Got it ! Come back when you choose to engage in the conversation that Atlanta told every one and their mom their after Donaldson when it was never true.
No idea what you’re talking about. Your point is noted….the Braves are liars and have deceived us all because??? Meanwhile the reality is the Braves are looking very smart with this move due to the numerous reasons I’ve explained and you’ve decided to ignore, which is your right. If you think Donaldson leaving the team for MORE money makes Atlanta an evil corporation looking to deceive the base, while they build a successful team using shrewd economic moves then I’m not sure I can reach you. Perhaps you should move your loyalty to the Nats? No…that wouldn’t do either…those evil folks just let Rendon walk! Argghhh! The outrage!!!!!
Everyone relax. The plan all along was to have Riley at 3td base by 2020. He will improve his strike zone judgement, and I have no doubt he’ll be an all star within a few years. The Braves have a blueprint, and signing JD or any other free agent to a risky contract isn’t part of the plan. I agree the Braves need another power hitter. Perhaps they are waiting to see how the team looks in spring training before making any further moves.
Absolutely agree Bravesfan 1970. We’re probably both older and understand this Braves squad and their farm is something to be excited about with or without our old friend Josh. Riley is going to be fine. I’m confident he’ll adjust and by 2021 all the bellyaching over Donaldson will seem silly.
Sell, my user name is a hint–its the year I was born. So yeah, I have a different perspective than most of the people who post on this board.
Lol. For months you have been lead to believe by your team u love that they are after Donaldson. Why would that the be story for any reason other than to serve fans lip service?? That’s the only point to spread those rumors. Braves organizational leadership lie to fans- that’s the topic. Y’all should engage in that discussion
I haven’t been “lied to” by the Braves at all. Josh said they made him an offer. Twins offered more but arguably because they needed him more. Their strategy is to overwhelm teams offensively and their inability to successfully bring in top of the line pitchers has cornered the Twins to ramp that fantastic power machine up another notch. We have boatloads of pitching potential, and packed farm, and a future to commit to with those younger players. There’s an unfortunate amount of entitlement with some fans. I’m sorry that a game we follow for our enjoyment is obviously distressing many of you to the point of torment apparently. What will be obvious very soon is the Braves will be in contention this year and likely the next decade. The sky was never falling and Riley was always expected to take over at third. Donaldson will be out of baseball while Riley will most likely be heading to All Star games over the next 5 years. The kid can rake. He’s young and hopefully he’ll adjust. Donaldson is a stud that we just couldn’t afford. It’s completely understandable.
The FO never led fans to believe that they’d be signing JD. The talking heads on the web did. They were never going to sign a player of his age, with his injury history to a 4 year deal. Anyone who knows this team knew that. I certainly did.
Bravesfan1970 in denial!
If that was the plan all along then why pretend to be after JD.
Sorry to inform you but the Braves plan all along was to sign JD NOT replace him with The unproven Riley (who looked terrible last year).
But keep telling yourself that if it helps you get through another season of not winning a championship.
The fact that we offered him a contract disproves any assertion that we were “pretending” to be after Donaldson. We literally offered him a contract, which means we literally were after him.
Don’t forget that AA has been saying since he got to Atlanta that he will offer the money/prospects for free agents/trades that he feels makes a good deal for Atlanta and that he won’t force a deal that doesn’t seem right. I believe this AA quote from October was 100% honest:
“It’s free agency, it’s not salary arbitration,” Anthopoulos said. “There’s no way to tell. Your value is what that free-agent market will give. What the needs are, supply-demand, which teams. So we’ll talk, we’ll definitely have interest in trying to sign him back, we will engage; to handicap our chances, it’s just too hard to tell. ”
He didn’t promise the Braves would sign Donaldson… He said that the Braves were interested in re-signing him and that they would engage in those talks. That is exactly what happened, it just didn’t work out.
I don’t think Riley looked terrible last year. He looked like a tremendous power hitter who started pressing. Riley is going to be fine.
Most of the ATL fans on this board who feel like the Braves front office let them down for not signing JD probably felt the same way when the Braves didn’t sign Kimbrel. The Braves front office knows what they are doing. If JD is that great of a pickup, then why didn’t more teams try to sign him? The Nationals surely had the money–where are all the Washington fans screaming bloody murder like some of you Braves fans are? Texas was reportedly very interested in him, so why aren’t we being bombarded by comments from Ranger fans? Several other teams need a 3rd baseman, but apparently only the Twins felt like signing JD to that many years was a good move. Giving him a multi year contract for that much money isn’t smart–Minnesota was the only team not to see that.
You have to have perspective here, its key !
Their books are cleaner than any team in MLB pretty much for a team in the hunt-
They are the defending Div winner
Their Div is relatively weak atm
Their time peroid is Right now
They have a hard time attracting stars in free agency-
Add it all up, you can do it !
The Braves kill me. They have a really good team but expect players to go there on the Braves terms which is puzzling in today’s market. JD was wanting that 4th year and this is probably his final contract so he’s going to take the cash. This is a great signing for MN!
I understand the Braves not wanting to overspend however it all comes down to where the player wants to be. If JD wanted to stay in Atlanta he would have…
I aint mad at him, he was fun to watch while he was here.
It’s an absolute joke! Braves Mgmt telling their fans “ef you, we gonna sit on all your money and truly don’t care about winning today!” This is an absolutely code red failure for the Braves mgmt, worse case scenario… based on his comments you can tell he was wanting to come back. It’s just a stupid stupid joke. How do you spend all this money to upgrade the bullpen (which I have been begging for since last offseason) then just fade away, get cold feet on JD? Shame on you Braves! You have a lot to do to show fans y’all are in win now mode!
Before other fans chirp in:
1.) JD’s contract was reasonable a cheap. 4-5 years is nothing at that cost. Even if he suck in 3-4 years. So poor excuse
2.) Braves have enough money to make many expensive deals and not risk the future. Just go look. It’s all public information!
3.) Stop saying AA has earn our trust! That’s 150% false! What has he truly done other than lie about financial flexibility and we are in win now mode?? A lot of this team was built on Coppy’s back… there, I said it… AA is soaking in the rewards of Coppy’s doings. JD WAS in one success story, which they let drive away to freaking Minnesota. What a joke… stop saying it! It’s trash
4.) I don’t want to compete for a division any more and settle. I want to compete for a WS every year. We are soooooo close but continue to not make enough moves.
5.) trading for KB or any other big name will cost more in both cash and prospect capital than simply signing Donaldson for a 10 year contract..
This was a nightmare on all regards for the Braves.
I’d say you’re overreacting emotionally. Logic trumps emotion. If they signed Josh to whatever he wanted (sure why not?) then some of the base would be boiling in rage when they can’t re-sign Freeman or they can’t afford some other piece we needed in the stretch. Atlanta can’t and won’t throw money around to appease fair weather fans nor should they. Baseball is about time and development in many ways. Donaldson is at the twilight of his career. He is an aging slugger. I predict he won’t repeat his numbers in Atlanta and Minnesota fans will be disappointed by the middle of this contract. Then you’ll all be laughing at the Twins and praising AA. Why do I say this? We see it, literally, year after year after year. You DON’T give aging sluggers every penny you emotionally believe their worth…NONE of us in the real world get such ridiculous privlage in our lives. Time after time, we see these contracts thrill the fans initially and then a year or two down the road, resentment. Atlanta will compete this year. Our window is open now and for the next 7 or 8 years. We are looking real solid. AA has done a great job by not making foolish and emotional moves.
1. 4-5 years to a player that will be in his age 34-37 (or 38) is certainly not “nothing”.
2. We’re already at an all time high payroll. Signing Donaldson would’ve been nice, but we have to look down the road at Soroka and Fried getting big raises when they hit arbitration, Freeman being due for an extension soon, addressing future holes, etc.
3. That financial flexibility enabled us to go out at the trade deadline and turn a terrible bullpen into one of the best bullpens in baseball for the rest of the year. And as for this team being built on Coppy’s back, don’t forget AA signed Acuna and Albies to insanely team-friendly long-term deals, which puts the Braves in an amazing position for almost an entire decade. Also, Coppy’s cheating set us back pretty significantly in the international market so it’s not like he did us a ton of favors.
4. If you want to compete for a World Series every year, you usually can’t go all in for one single season. We’ve made several good moves this year already and there are 2 1/2 months until the season starts.
5. Bryant will probably make similar money per year, but he’s only a 1 or 2 year commitment, not 5.
Ditto!!!!
His contract pays for itself in 1 -2 years and our organization has plenty of money to lock up young players later and still make deals like this today. To think otherwise is ludicrous. It’s all public information. Plus, his 4 year deal is cheeeeeaaaaapppppp. It doesn’t remotely cripple us. Sure our payroll is at an all time high, but look at baseball as a whole…. everyone’s payroll is increasing on average. It’s the nature of the game and basic economics. All you did was give me bs excuses I told everyone not to do. It’s insanity, it’s being brainwashed as a homer, and it’s not looking at it from true analytical state point, but instead from a “I will support my teams decisions no matter what.” It’s your money that you invest into the Braves (tickets, stock, cable, etc…). You are allow to be critical of their boneheaded decisions
Brainwashed homers. Cute. Your conspiratorial approach is nothing more than that. You lack evidence to support your argument that we’re not being analytical when data has been presented to the contrary NUMEROUS times..but hey, “the truth is out there”
Your right on the mark Bravesfan, kudos –
People are sooo brainwashed these days…walking contradictions…… just looking to go down a narrative rabbit hole all the way to the bitter end; Logic is almost an afterthought
When we signed Donaldson last off season the plan was to:
1. On Donaldson’s part to allow him a chance to re-establish and prove himself as a legit player so that he could get a multi-year deal (That worked great for him)
2. On the Braves part to sign a crucial bat/glove but not commit to a long term expensive deal as all we wanted was a good player to bridge the gap until Austin Riley was ready (That worked great for us in 2019)
We still have the ability to go out and trade for Francisco Lindor, Robbie Ray, Kris Bryant, Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado, etc. if we signed Donaldson, we would not have that ability. By not signing him we’ve reserved the capability to evaluate Riley and Camargo during spring training and early in the season. If one or both of them winds up showing out and performing well, not only will we have a good 3B without signing Donaldson, we’ll be able to go out and afford another piece if someone gets hurt or we feel like we have another weakness to address. If we had signed Donaldson we’d have a much harder time affording to address any other weakness during the season.
It’s not perfect, but it’s not the end of the world, either. I was furious last offseason that the Braves didn’t improve the bullpen, which I felt was a huge weakness. We evaluated it during the season, AA agreed that it was a weakness, and he fixed that weakness and turned it into a strength. I have no reason to doubt him being able to fix any weaknesses in 2020.
When is the AL going start making everyone in the lineup have to hit
Donaldson said The Braves offered a day or two before he signed, but that was expected. They Braves knew JD would give them a final opportunity to match, but Minnesota was so reckless with their deal the Braves said no way. A fifth-year option with an $8 million buyout is just stupid. Sure, it would have been great to get JD back, but I’m glad the Braves didn’t go anywhere near the Twins’ offer.
The Twins should be laughed at.
But it is the Braves that everyone is laughing at
Anyone laughing at the Braves for not approaching that deal isn’t smart at all.
Not in Atlanta they’re not. AA isn’t an idiot. He’s already got 5 backup plans working.
Who’s laughing at the Braves and not at Astros, Red Sox, Mets frantically searching for a manager weeks before spring training? ATL didn’t commit 5 years to a 34 year old — last I checked, 28 other teams didn’t do the same thing. I think you may be the only one laughing.
I’m laughing at twins no doubt. But I pitty braves fans- your organizations leadership is a bunch of liars
Well In their defense they have to overpay because it’s so damn cold. I mean there’s cold and then there’s Minnesota cold. It’s brutal. It’ll ruin a car. Imagine what it does to a body. Ask joe Mauer.
The highest humidity ever recorded in the United States was in Moorhead, MN in 2011.
Come hang out in South Georgia for a summer. Then talk to me about humidity.
I kind of wish they had gone hard after Moustakas. You don’t break the bank and Riley gets ABs in LF.
It sucks how early he got signed. I’m guessing he was the Braves’ contingency plan going into the offseason, but at that time they probably thought there was a legit enough chance at resigning Donaldson that it was too early to give up on that plan and sign Moustakas instead.
Agree with both of you. Have to hand it to the Reds though, wow! Interesting team they’re assembling. Smart to scoop him up quickly.
Let me get this straight….. your thrilled on passing on Jd but you regret not signing MM for 4/64?
Yikes my man those are brutal takes; The Moose is considered one of the top overpays in free agency this year in intelligent circles
It leads me to believe you have No idea of what Jd and Moose actually do on baseball fields. Your obsessed with date of births and AAV and god knows what else when the whole time all you have to do is turn on the Tv and watch for yourself-
Moustakas has averaged 31 HR a year over the last three years. He’s three years younger than Donaldson. He was signed for cheaper than Donaldson. No, he’s not as good as Donaldson, but he would’ve been a good fallback option if he was still available.
Are you suggesting that age and AAV don’t matter? Historically and currently there are far more players in their early 30’s (Moustakas in this case) who are good hitters compared to players in their late 30’s (Donaldson in this case). That’s not even debatable. There are exceptions to every rule, and maybe Donaldson, like Adrian Beltre, will be one, but you can’t act like age is irrelevant in sports. Albert Pujols had one of the greatest 10 year starts to a career ever, but look at what he’s been since turning 33. A bunch of Cards fans were upset that St. Louis let him get away in free agency back then, too. Now? Probably not so much.
AAV always matters. Do I think Zack Greinke is still a better pitcher than Max Fried? Absolutely. Would I prefer paying Greinke $35 million in 2020 instead of paying Fried less than $600 thousand? Not a chance. Money isn’t unlimited.
Moose is considered one of the biggest overpays of the season and you want your team all over it??-
Boy are they lucky to not have you-
Your not trading for Mookie or Arenado as well,, get a clue
Just get on with it and sign a bat replacing his output. Simple. Doesn’t have to be a 3rd baseman. Ask billy beane.
We even have Ron Washington telling him how easy it is to play 3B.
Giants have Longoria if you want him. Just take the bill! Lol
Camargo was a 3.7 WAR player in 2018 – his last year in full-time duty, while Longoria was 2.0 in 2019. Longo hasn’t been at least 3.7 WAR since 2016 — and at that rate — we good. That’s the baseline.
I don’t understand why Castellanos has been essentially ruled out as a 3B… seems like a slam dunk situation to me. The Braves have a genuine need, Castellanos would be a better option than anyone they have now, Camargo is too iffy. So, they put up with his poor defense at 3B (he wasn’t even that awful at 3 in ’15 & ’16, similar to how sub-par his OF defense is) in exchange for a legit hitter, and they could probably get him on a short deal at a reasonable price point. If I was Castellanos, at this point, I’d be looking for a 1-year deal, hit FA again entering his age 29 season, and if he went on to take a 1-year deal and had a monster season, he could really cash in for way more than he’s going to get this off-season.
I’m not opposed to that idea a76. I think it’s still a possibility.
“So, they put up with his poor defense at 3B”
His bat usually makes up for it.
But poor defense at 3B might come back to bite you post-season.
canocorn: “But poor defense at 3B might come back to bite you post-season.”
That’s a bad argument for multiple reasons… first and foremost, the sample size is so small in the postseason that even the surest fielders could make a fielding mistake on any given play that could come back to bite, second, whether he’s playing 3B or OF, he’s a defensive liability just the same. A MLB player who is poor defensively doesn’t usually give that away over the course of a few games… it is only able to be recognized over a pretty large number chances. It’s difficult for fans to visually see a player’s range and be able to compare it with other players’. You could make a low-light reel of every player in MLB and their fielding mistakes and if that’s all you knew about them, you’d think they were all incompetents.
Brooks Conrad exists.
Camargo gets a lot of crap but he’s better than people think. He may only hit 10-12 home runs but he’s not exactly Uggla. He still drives people in and can get on base.
Castalanos may be a Ron Washington special. He works wonders with everyone.