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3 reasons the Braves should not re-sign Josh Donaldson

By Jake Mastroianni

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 03: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after advancing to third base on a double by teammate Nick Markakis (not pictured) against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning in game one of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 03: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after advancing to third base on a double by teammate Nick Markakis (not pictured) against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning in game one of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 10: Zack  Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 10: Zack  Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Not the biggest priority

To me, at least, re-signing Josh Donaldson at third base is not the biggest priority for Atlanta this offseason.

My biggest priority is finding a couple of frontline starters to pair with Mike Soroka in the rotation, and building a starting rotation that can compete in the playoffs with the likes of the Nationals, Dodgers, and Astros (HA, or even the Cardinals; although, I put a lot of that series loss on the offense).

If the Braves were to re-sign Donaldson for what he’s likely going to want ($25 million a year) that means they wouldn’t have enough resources to go out and get that frontline starter.

I understand that if the Braves don’t get Donaldson back they’ll still need to find a big bat to put behind Freddie Freeman in the lineup, but I think there are easier and cheaper ways to get that done (as we’ll look at in a minute).

But even beyond there being an easier solution to replace Donaldson, the fact remains that if the Braves are ever going to advance in the postseason and compete for a World Series they need several frontline starters.

We can’t continue to wait on these prospects to develop. Maybe one will this year, but you can’t bank on that going into a season when you’re team is in win-now mode.

So if it’s between spending money to re-sign Josh Donaldson or spending money to get a frontline starter or two, the Braves should not re-sign Donaldson.

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