ATLANTA BOUND
Former Jays star Josh Donaldson is headed to the Braves on a one-year deal,
Josh Donaldson has found a new home, reuniting with former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopolous on a oneyear deal with the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves made official on Monday night what TSN’s Steve Phillips reported earlier in the day.
The former MVP third baseman is expected to earn $23 million US in 2019, matching the salary he was awarded in his final year of arbitration entering the 2018 season, at the time a record-setting deal for an ar- bitration eligible player.
It was the second headlinegrabbing move of the day by the Braves, who also signed catcher Brian McCann to a reported one-year, $2-million deal. McCann, who played 63 games for the Houston Astros this past season, spent the first nine years of his career with the Braves. Atlanta also designated left-handed pitcher Ricardo Sanchez for assignment.
For Donaldson, 32, a lucrative one-year deal could allow him to recoup some of the value lost in an injury-plagued 2018 season. The slugger played a total of 52 regular-season games with the Jays and Cleveland Indians, the team he was dealt to on Aug. 31 for a player to be named later (RHP Julian Merryweather).
He finished the year healthy despite earlier battling arm and calf injuries, slashing .280/.400/ .520 in 16 games for the Indians in September, a big improvement on the .234/.333/.423 line he put up in 36 games for the Jays earlier in the season.
Anthopolous, now the Braves general manager, knows better than most what Donaldson can do when he’s healthy. It was the 41-year-old native of Montreal who brought him to Toronto in November 2014, marking the beginning of what would be two of the more memorable seasons in recent history. Donaldson was named the American League most valuable player in 2015 after leading the Blue Jays to the American League East pennant and their first playoff berth since their back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93.
If Donaldson is able get back to his old self, the career .275 hitter will have shot at signing a long-term deal when he hits free agency once again after next season. Other third baseman in that free agency class will include the Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, 27, and the Washington Nationals’ Anthony Rendon, 28.
Atlanta, one of the surprises of the 2018 season, topped the National League East with its young core, eventually losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series. Utility infielder Johan Camargo, 24, played 114 of his 134 games at third base for the Braves in 2018, hitting .272 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs.
The Jays had something of a reunion of their own Monday, reclaiming reliever Oliver Drake from the Tampa Bay Rays. Drake, who was designated for assignment last Tuesday before the rosters were finalized prior to the Rule 5 draft, pitched 12⁄ innings for Toronto in late July, during a two-week stint with the organization after he was first claimed from the Los Angeles Angels.
The Jays designated Drake for assignment in early August and he was picked up by the Twins.