Donaldson agrees to $23M deal with Jays
TORONTO — Third baseman Josh Donaldson and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $23 million contract Friday, the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player.
The 32-year-old, a threetime All-Star, topped the $21,625,000 one-year deal covering 2018 agreed to last May by outfielder Bryce Harper and Washington.
Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, got a $6 million raise after rebounding from an injury-slowed 2016 to hit .270 last season with 33 homers and 78 RBIs in 113 games. The sure-handed infielder missed time from April 14 through May 25 with a calf injury, which also hampered him during spring training. Donaldson was coming off a $28.65 million two-year deal. He is eligible for free agency after this season.
Toronto also agreed to one-year deals with outfielder Ezequiel Carrera for $1.9 million, left-hander Aaron Loup for $1,812,500, outfielder Kevin Pillar for $3.25 million, right-hander Aaron Sanchez for $2.7 million, second baseman Devon Travis for $1.45 million and right-hander Dominic Leone for $1,085,000.
Carrera earned $1,162,500 last season when the 30-year-old Venezuelan played every outfield spot and batted .282 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in a career-high 131 games for the Blue Jays — 91 of those in left field.
Pillar batted .256 with 16 homers and 42 RBIs in 154 games. Loup, who made $1,125,000 in 2017, went 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 70 appearances and 572⁄3 innings. Sanchez went 1-3 with a 4.25 ERA in eight starts while Leone was 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA in a careerhigh 65 appearances and his most innings at 701⁄3.
Toronto's remaining arbitration eligible players are right-handers Marcus Stroman and Roberto Osuna.
Stroman is seeking $6.9 million and Toronto countered at $6.5 million, and Osuna asked for $5.8 million while the Blue Jays offered $5.3 million.
Stroman is coming off a career-best year in which he went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts while reaching 200 innings for the second straight season (201). He made $3.4 million last season. Osuna was 3-4 with a 3.38 ERA with a career-best 39 saves in 66 appearances and 64 innings.
Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado, like Donaldson eligible for free agency after this season, agreed at $16 million. Houston pitcher Dallas Keuchel agreed to a $13.2 million deal.
In the NL, Kris Bryant agreed to a $10.85 million one-year deal with the Cubs, a record for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time. The previous mark by Ryan Howard was $10 million awarded by a three-person panel in 2008, the Philadelphia first baseman's first year of eligibility for arbitration.
The Cubs and Bryant avoided arbitration, and the 26-year-old third baseman received a hefty raise after making $1.05 million last year. Bryant hit .295 with 29 home runs and 73 RBIs in 2017. The previous season, he earned National League MVP honors when he hit .292 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs. The Cubs won the World Series that year for the first time since 1908.
Chicago also avoided arbitration with shortstop Addison Russell, agreeing to a $3.2 million deal for 2018.