Josh Donaldson’s Move Doesn’t Help Minnesota Twins Or Atlanta Braves

Although the truncated baseball season has passed the one-third mark, the jury remains out on the off-season free agent signing that sent Josh Donaldson from the Atlanta Braves to the Minnesota Twins. Both teams were division champions last year and retain their respective top spots.

Donaldson, who got a four-year contract worth $92 million, got off to a slow start in his return to the American League and then got hurt. He sits on the IL now with a right calf strain and no set date for his return.

The 34-year-old former MVP had only 27 plate appearances – and a .182 batting average with one home run – before he landed on the sidelines Aug. 7. His replacements in Atlanta, though not injured, are struggling to reach the Mendoza Line.

Austin Riley, blessed with light-tower power but cursed with a propensity for frequent strikeouts, is hitting .159 with three home runs, while the switch-hitting Johan Camargo is only marginally better, at .191 and three home runs.

The Braves have so little faith in Riley that he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning Monday night as Atlanta rallied to beat the Washington Nationals, 7-6.

Since a wrist injury to star second baseman Ozzie Albies forced the Braves to move the versatile Camargo to second, Riley is hanging onto his big-league roster spot. But just barely.

If baseball had a minor-league system this season, Riley would probably be in it.

Several years ago, Atlanta even shifted All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman to third base for a few weeks so that hot-hitting Matt Adams could squeeze into the lineup at first. A radical move at the time, it worked out surprisingly well. But it’s not likely to happen again, since Freeman is a stabilizing force in the field and at the plate.

After losing Donaldson, the Braves made bids for veteran third basemen Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies and Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs. But their contracts, coupled with the cost of several prized pitching prospects, proved prohibitive.

Although the hot corner has turned cold in Atlanta, the Braves have managed to hang onto first place in the National League East. They opened the 60-game season with a 14-10 record as they seek their third straight divisional title.

Minnesota, without Donaldson, is doing even better. The Twins have a 15-8 record as they race to defend the American League Central crown they won last year.

The Twins had hoped Donaldson would bring even more power to a lineup that hit 307 home runs, a major-league record, in 2019. That may still happen – if the three-time All-Star regains his health and his strength in the near future.

The 6’1″ right-handed slugger was Comeback Player Of The Year in the National League after hitting 37 home runs for the 2019 Braves. With Albies and fellow All-Star Ronald Acuna, Jr. on the shelf with wrist injuries, the Braves could use some of that power.

Shortly after Donaldson left, they convinced Marcell Ozuna to accept a one-year, $18 million contract to leave the St. Louis Cardinals via free agency. Ozuna now occupies the same cleanup spot that Donaldson held in Atlanta last season.

The unexpected defection of Donaldson, whose one-year contract with the Braves earned him $23 million, left all four NL East title contenders with craters at the hot corner.

After leading the league in runs batted in, Anthony Rendon departed the World Champion Washington Nationals for the Los Angeles Angels for $245 million, spread over seven seasons.

The New York Mets opened the season with Jeff McNeil at third base but have since shifted him to left field, opening the position for J.D. Davis. And the Philadelphia Phillies, after losing free agent Mikhail Franco to Kansas City on a one-year, $2.95 million deal, are now playing rookie Alex Bohm at third.