By Jordan Long
The Atlanta Braves are looking to improve their team for next season. They went 90-72 this past year. The Braves won the National League East Division and faced the L.A. Dodgers in the Division series. Unfortunately the Dodgers won the series in 4 games. Atlanta wanted to add offense this offseason and they decided to sign Josh Donaldson to a 1-year contract worth $23 million.
Donaldson will be entering his 9th year. The Braves are his 4th team. Last year he started the year with the Blue Jays. Donaldson was dealt to the Cleveland Indians on September 1st, 2018. This was in hopes of improving the Indians’ chances of making a run at the World Series.
Donaldson appeared in 16 games for the Indians in the regular season. He missed most of September because of a calf injury. In those games, Donaldson hit .280 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI’s. Defensively, Donaldson started 12 games at 3rd base for Cleveland. He was reliable with only 2 errors. The Indians made the postseason.
In the Division Series against Houston, Donaldson was not the hitter he was in the regular season, finishing with a .091 batting average, striking out 4 times. It looked like he was trying too hard at the dish and it cost the Indians. Cleveland saw enough and allowed him to test free agency.
The Braves are taking a risk. When healthy, Donaldson can help the Braves on offense and defense. On offense, he is able to move his teammates around the base paths to score them and smack home runs. His career batting average is .275 with 182 home runs and 551 RBI’s. Defensively he picks the ball up and throws to first base, rarely committing an error.
The Braves know how he can improve the baseball team. They just have to hope he is healthy. Spending $23 million on Donaldson is way too much. If Donaldson is healthy, he will help the Braves make a run at the postseason and possibly the World Series. If he isn’t, it could be a long year for the Braves and a waste of money.
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