Josh Donaldson is currently missing a few games due to a sore calf but the third baseman is slowly rounding into his normal self it seems with the Atlanta Braves.
I think it’s important to remember that he missed most of Spring Training and we all know numbers aren’t the full story anyway, as anyone who watched saw he was squaring up the ball hard in the first few weeks for the Atlanta Braves.
MLB.com recently posted an article with the top 10 third baseman of the decade (The 2010’s) and even though he is just beginning his Atlanta Braves career, Josh Donaldson was ranked 2nd on that list only behind Adrian Beltre.
The 2015 AL MVP, who also received first-place votes in 3 other seasons, was ranked ahead of star players like Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado. An impressive feat that is well deserved.
Josh Donaldson’s career numbers are probably skewed since he was a late bloomer, not being an everyday player until his late 20’s.
As briefly mentioned above, it seems Josh Donaldson was heating up prior to his calf injury he is currently nursing. Balls were starting to find holes they weren’t finding the first few weeks and the power was also slowly rounding into form.
The best part of the signing so far has no doubt been his superb defense as well. He is playing Gold Glove-caliber defense if you ask me. I have been thoroughly impressed with that facet of his game.
This all leads me to the one question I want to ask … should the Atlanta Braves pursue resigning Josh Donaldson after the season is over?
Lot’s of questions form from that original question such as — how much would it cost and what about big-time prospect Austin Riley?
First, Josh Donaldson is an extremely good player whose signing I think was far overlooked last offseason mainly because it happened so early in the winter and the fact that the Braves didn’t deliver any other signings that so many people looked for.
So, let’s talk money. We all know Josh Donaldson is playing on a 1 year $23 million deal. I would think that if the Atlanta Braves were to commit to Donaldson a couple more years, he might be willing to take a little less on average per year.
I would think something in the range of a 2 year $40 million deal would work.
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After all, Josh Donaldson has said on numerous occasions that he loves playing here, and on top of that, it’s not far away from where he played his college ball at Auburn.
That leaves one question unanswered. What about big-time prospect Austin Riley, who is currently mashing in Gwinnett?
For starters, I fully expect the DH to be implemented in the National League in the next few years, a spot where Riley could be a huge weapon in my mind.
But let’s play by the current rules.
One idea would be to float Riley in trade packages this summer and winter and see if you could maybe acquire a top-flight pitcher or another big-time hitter?
My personal idea would be to get Riley acquainted with the outfield and if he can play at least passable defense, let him take over as part of Atlanta’s outfield in 2020.
So what would you like the Atlanta Braves to do with Josh Donaldson? Let him walk after this year, or do you want to see the “Rain Maker” and the Braves continue their relationship? Let us know below.