Josh Donaldson Could Justify Minnesota Pact With Huge Year

Josh Donaldson already looks comfortable in the uniform of the Minnesota Twins.

The slugging third baseman, who batted in his preferred second spot in the lineup in a home exhibition game against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday, seems calm, confident, and relaxed in his return to the American League after a one-year hiatus in the National League.

Atlanta had signed him a year earlier for $23 million, the largest one-year deal ever given to anyone, because there was a connection between the slugger and Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. When they were together in Toronto, Donaldson was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Minnesota thinks the 34-year-old righthanded hitter could contend for that award again – especially in the wake of his National League Comeback Player of the Year Award with the 2019 Braves.

A Florida native who still lives in the Sunshine State, Donaldson delivered 37 home runs, tying the second-best total of his career, while resurrecting his fallen star in Atlanta. But he rejected the team’s efforts to re-sign him – even though Atlanta offered the injury-prone slugger a four-year deal.

The world champion Washington Nationals, desperate to replace free agent defector Anthony Rendon, also fell short in the bidding.

Minnesota was not only a late entrant in the Donaldson sweepstakes but a surprising one. The Twins set a major-league mark last year with 307 home runs and seemed more likely to seek pitching help rather than pursue another hitter.

In fact, the addition of Donaldson forced the team to shift incumbent third baseman Miguel Sano across the diamond to first, where he appeared against Atlanta Wednesday.

“[The Braves] obviously had a game plan,” Donaldson told Mark Bowman of MLB.com about the bidding war before facing his former Atlanta teammates for the first time. “I can’t comment on what their game plan was because I don’t know. At the end of the day, I know they have guys who are very capable of playing third base.”

Neither veteran Johan Camargo nor promising power-hitter Austin Riley carries the credentials of Josh Donaldson, however. Far from it.

On the other hand, Donaldson’s deal with the Twins means Minnesota could be paying millions to a 39-year-old third baseman with an injury history. Both the Braves and Nationals initially offered three-year deals, then added a fourth reluctantly.

Only the Twins guaranteed four and included an option for a fifth season. That option is either an $8 million buyout or a $16 million salary for the fifth year.

Overall value, if he plays five full years, exceeds $100 million.

Maybe Donaldson is worth it. Considered an inspirational leader who is often brash and outspoken, he carries the weight of the largest contract in Twins history. But he also ranks second in the majors since 2013 in Wins Above Replacement according to both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.com. The only man he trails is three-time MVP Mike Trout.

In Donaldson’s MVP year, 2015, he hit career peaks in both home runs (41) and runs batted in (123) while hitting .297, 26 points above his current career average.

He’s not too shabby with a glove either; he has more defensive runs saved (68) since 2012 than anyone at his position not named Nolan Arenado or Manny Machado.

If he stays healthy, Donaldson can become a devastating new cog in a mighty Minnesota machine. But he must avoid the calf issues that sliced significant time off his playing schedule in 2017 and 2018.

He’s hit two home runs in a game 20 times, including a three-homer performance once. Ironically, the victim of the 2016 explosion was his current club.

Although the 2020 Twins are heavily favored to waltz to a repeat AL Central crown, playing deep into October may be difficult against such seasoned juggernauts as the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. But having Josh Donaldson in the lineup certainly improves the club’s chances.

The Twins haven’t reached the World Series since 1991, when they beat the Braves by winning Game 7, 1-0 in 10 innings, behind Jack Morris. If Josh Donaldson can help fill that two-decade void, he’ll start justifying his big deal immediately if not sooner.