The Atlanta Braves were dealt a significant blow with the news of Josh Donaldson signing with the Minnesota Twins.
Josh Donaldson dealt a significant blow to the reigning NL East champ Atlanta Braves by signing with the Minnesota Twins. He was a key player on the teams last season and His decision to sign elsewhere has left the franchise scrambling to find a replacement at the hot corner.
Donaldson, who bet on himself last season by signing a one-year deal with the Braves, played extremely well. He sported a slash line of .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI’s and had a WAR value of 6.1.
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There was always a worry he would bolt, but the team had to have felt confident in their offer, otherwise, there would have been some frantic action going on to get a backup.
At the moment there really aren’t any great free-agent options at third base. Now until the end of the year, the Braves will be synonymous with Colorado Rockies‘ Nolan Arenado. I believe they will now press the hardest to get a deal done and bring the third baseman to Atlanta.
With the Braves having 5 players in MLB’s Top 100 prospects, there shouldn’t be any problem getting a deal done with prospects. Two of those prospects are also pitchers, which we know Colorado needs. As far as salary goes they will be perfect as they only have three players currently signed through 2022.
I believe Atlanta’s need will now make it difficult for the other teams who are interested in trading for Arenado, like the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. I know a few days ago I wrote about how the Cardinals were emerging as the top suitor for Arenado, but the favorites are now the Braves.
If Arenado is traded it will be to the Braves. Think of the young core of Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Mike Soroka. Man, the Braves will be scary good for a long time and they are already pretty good.