DONALDSON GAMBLE PAYS OFF FOR BRAVES
Anthopoulos wanted the Bringer of Rain’s big bat, leadership
By now, the front-office flair Alex Anthopoulos is known for has become much appreciated by win-now baseball fans.
The Montreal native, who helped build the Toronto Blue Jays franchise back to prominence a few years back, recognizes the nuances of the modern game and the importance of having a deep and productive farm system.
But there is a riverboat gambler at the core of Anthopoulos, who isn’t shy about rolling the dice when the timing and conditions are just right.
He did it in Toronto, boldly trading for players such as Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and David Price while signing others like Jose Bautista and Russell Martin, all huge components in setting up the playoff runs of 2015 and 2016.
Now, as the Braves began their post-season journey here on a sizzling Thursday night in the south, one of his latest high-stakes moves is a big reason why they’re a sleeper threat to win it all.
For the second time in their respective careers, third baseman Donaldson and general manager Anthopoulos are together for some October baseball. And, to this point anyway, it couldn’t have worked out better.
“We gave him the biggest oneyear contract in the history of the game. That contract reflected the fact that we thought he had a chance to be healthy, and if he was, he would be one of the better players in the game,” Anthopoulos told Postmedia. “Short term, it was good for both sides.”
That one-year, Us$23-million deal had its skeptics on both sides.
Why would the Braves pay that kind of money for a player who couldn’t stay healthy in his final two years with the Jays?
And why would Donaldson, at 33, agree to a one-year deal at this point in his career?
The answer for both was risk-reward and trusting their respective instincts.
“We understood when we got him that he was in line for a big contract with Toronto, and unfortunately, he got hurt,” Anthopoulos said. “Both of us looked at this as a place for him to rebuild his value, be in a good clubhouse on a good team, and to re-establish himself.
“For us, the advantage was that coming into 2019, we knew what we had here and that he could be a valuable addition.”
Anthopoulos hit all the right notes in his pitch for the Bringer of Rain. Come to the south and play for a team you cheered for as a kid. Be a role model for a young, talented and motivated group of players. And finally, get healthy and lead that team to the post-season.
“It’s been a good fit for him,” Anthopoulos said.
“First and foremost, Josh wanted to go to a team where he had a chance to win. Obviously, that was important to him. We had just come off winning the division and adding him only made us that much more competitive. And his familiarity with the staff helped.”
The familiar face factor was indeed critical to Donaldson, especially given his frustration with the Jays the previous year when he missed most of the season due to a variety of ailments.
When the Jays fired head trainer George Poulis after the 2017 season, Anthopoulos wasted little time bringing him and assistant Mike Frostad to Atlanta. The longtime Jays employee and Donaldson were tight, a relationship that immediately flourished here.
“There’s no magic. It’s his hard work,” Poulis said of Donaldson’s resurgence. “He’s very, very diligent at working. It’s the same as I remember in Toronto. I’ve been in this game for 30 years and I’ve always had a deep respect for the everyday player. To see Josh do it and be determined ... He’s a special person, no question.”
Almost incredibly, given his age, the violence of his swing and his recent injury history, Donaldson has been an everyday player in 2019, a force at the plate and a reliable defender at third.
Health has been key, as he has both trusted his body and worked to get it back to the supreme condition that allowed him to play in 155 games including 100 in a row.
“When I was hurt, there were some people who thought I didn’t want to play,” Donaldson said, shaking his head.
“They thought I was done.
They had no idea what I was going through. That’s not me.”
So, what’s next for Donaldson? If he leads the Braves to their first playoff series win since
2001 and to a 10th World Series appearance in franchise history, it will be difficult for them to let him get away.