3 former Atlanta Braves the team parted with at the perfect time
This Atlanta Braves front office isn't perfect but have been as close to it as you can have in this league.
By Nick Halden
2. Josh Donaldson — 4 years, $92 million
This deal is easy to forget considering Donaldson was last with the Braves in the 2019 season. Austin Riley has wiped away the memory of one of the best third basemen Atlanta had since Chipper Jones chose to walk away. The energy and edge that Donaldson brought was exactly what this team needed to make a postseason push and begin their reign over the National League East.
With that said, however, Donaldson has been nothing but a complete bust since leaving Atlanta. In his lone season with the Braves, Donaldson was an elite offensive force with 94 runs batted in and 37 homers. It was looked at as a very tough decision at the time for the Braves and a huge potential loss.
Atlanta opted to let Donaldson walk and believe in their young core. The fact that this was a debate is laughable in retrospect but, at the time, it was a heated discussion for Braves fans. Donaldson clearly will be remembered as a fan favorite and is a player that the team made the perfect decision on at the right time. Few deals are cut and dry as this one from Atlanta's perspective.