Should the Atlanta Braves care about the “4th year”?

The Atlanta Braves and Josh Donaldson remain at an impasse over contract negotiations.

I think I speak for the majority when I say, lets get something done one way or another and move on. Let me be clear though, I still want Josh Donaldson on the Atlanta Braves.

All things considered, it seems as if both parties would like a reunion for the 2020 season and beyond. As you would expect though, both parties also want it at their terms.

In this particular instance Josh Donaldson holds all the cards. If the reports are true, he already has a 4 year guarantee from two teams which are most likely the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals. By the way, I’m still waiting for a report that a mystery team is in the weeds.

Obviously everyone in Atlanta Braves country wants to keep him away from the Nationals at all costs. Is he the same caliber of player as Anthony Rendon who left the Nationals for the West Coast? Probably not, but he would still keep them as the biggest threat in the NL East to dethrone the Atlanta Braves.

So if they are willing to go to this elusive 4 year deal that Donaldson is seeking, why aren’t we? The easy answer is every front office is different and have their set ways of doing things, and while that is mostly true, sometimes you have to negotiate and meet in the middle.

If this is truly the only thing keeping Donaldson and the Braves apart, then just go ahead and get the deal done. Let’s then be able to move onto other areas of need.

I say this for a few different reasons. For one, with every year that passes we see the cost of free agents soar up more and more rendering $25M or whatever the money would be to be not QUITE as high as it is today. Still a lot of money, but sometimes you have to pay for things.

Second off, if the Atlanta Braves were able to win at least 1 World Series in that 4 year span, wasn’t it worth it? And if you look closely at the current state of the National League, it may the fan in me, but I feel good about getting to the main stage at least once over the next four years.

The Braves have already proved they can beat the Phillies, Nationals, and Mets. The Cubs are trying to cut costs, the Cardinals are decent but they still do not scare me.

The Brewers’ window seems to be closing. The Dodgers will be good, but all it takes is one hot series. You see the point here. The Atlanta Braves are set up well for the next few years, but they appear to need Josh Donaldson more than he needs us.

So let’s get this deal done and finish up the other small holes this roster has.