As we continue to wait for Josh Donaldson to make a decision, the Atlanta Braves and other teams are left in limbo.
Former Atlanta Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson is currently holding the offseason hostage by dragging out his decision where to sign.
Once Anthony Rendon signed with the Los Angeles Angels during the Winter Meetings, all of the attention turned to Donaldson.
He’s the best free-agent left available by a wide margin, and the rest of the market won’t take shape until he signs.
Once Donaldson signs we could finally see trade rumors pick up as teams look for alternatives.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (paywall) wrote on Thursday that the Minnesota Twins are still very much in on Donaldson and that they and the Washington Nationals are believed to have four-year offers on the table already.
He also mentioned the Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers as interested parties, but that they may not be willing to go to that fourth year.
What’s the hold up?
We know the parties involved, we know what it’s going to take to get a deal done, so what exactly is Donaldson waiting for.
This is pure speculation, but I honestly believe he’s waiting on the Braves.
And Jon Heyman basically says as much in this report:
Executives are expecting Donaldson decision soon. Feels like mostly an NL East battle. Belief is Nats are in big — likely at 4 years — but JD is expected to give Braves a last chance. Twins, Rangers, Dodgers have been linked but seem like longer shots (LA already has a great 3B)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 19, 2019
The sense I get from reports is that Donaldson really wants to come back to Atlanta, and I honestly believe that if the Braves had already offered him a four-year deal this thing would be done.
But in the end, Donaldson has to do what’s best for him. And if Atlanta isn’t willing to give him that fourth year he’s going to take one of those offers from Minnesota or Washington.
Personally, I wouldn’t give Donaldson more than three years either. But at the same time, I would be a little upset if a fourth year is what makes him a Nat and not a Brave.
I really think the ball is in the Braves court right now and they are the ones holding this up. If they aren’t willing to go four years then it’s time to let JD go and start looking for other alternatives — and there are plenty out there as we’ve covered extensively on this site in recent weeks.