The Josh Donaldson free agency sweepstakes are shaping up to be a three-team race, according to MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand, who reported that the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins are the frontrunners to land the former MVP.
Donaldson, who turned 34 last month, is the top third baseman on the open market — and quite possibly the top remaining free agent overall.
He accrued 6.1 bWAR last season in 155 games, with a .900 OPS and 34 home runs, and finished 11th in National League MVP voting. The former Blue Jay — who won the 2015 American League MVP with Toronto — has a career .878 OPS through nine seasons.
Donaldson earned $23 million last season with the Braves, then declined their one-year qualifying offer (worth $17.8 million) in order to become eligible for free agency. As Feinsand reported, he is expected to receive roughly $100 million over four years on his next contract.
The Nationals reportedly signed infielder Starlin Castro to a two-year deal on Friday, according to multiple reports, but the belief is that the reigning World Series champions are still open to adding Donaldson.
The Twins largely split third base duties in 2019 between Marwin Gonzalez (who has one year left before free agency) and Miguel Sano (who bounced back in 2019 after posting only a .679 OPS in 2018).
The Braves, Donaldson’s most recent team and the reigning NL East champions, are believed by some to be to have the inside track on signing the veteran slugger.
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