And so we wait… and the length of the wait seems to speak volumes about where the Atlanta Braves are going from this point.
It was on the 13th of December when Anthony Rendon signed with the (rough vicinity of) Los Angeles Angels. For 10 days now, the Atlanta Braves and others have been waiting on Josh Donaldson‘s decision.
The news on this subject has been annoyingly light, from the fans’ point of view. In fact, what we think we know is probably overshadowed by what we undoubtedly don’t know.
In fact, there’s a few points that could be outright myths… and we’ll only know the truth once he does opt for an agreement:
- Possible Myth 1: He prefers the Braves. This may be so, but getting anyone on the record about this point has to be impossible by the very nature of the free agent process.
- The Nationals and the Twins are said to be heavily engaged in trying to hire the former MVP third baseman. Why would they bother if they didn’t think there was a realistic shot? Furthermore, why would they still be in the hunt?
- This is Donaldson’s only/last/best/real shot at a big free agent contract. Why jeopardize this by making everyone think he’s a single-team guy?
- Possible Myth 2: The Braves are believed to have a chance to match any offer from another club.
- By the very statement, it’s speculation, though it’s been repeated often enough as to make everybody believe it as fact. Hopefully so… but rarely do these things play out exactly as rumored.
The truly frustrating part is that almost no one is talking right now… not the Braves (certainly), not any of the teams pursuing Donaldson, and really not even the agent. That’s unusual, but it’s where we are right now.
So here’s some trend we’ve noticed in the meantime…