Josh Donaldson Reportedly Waiting for Teams to Match His $110 Million Demand
By Jerry Trotta
The Josh Donaldson sweepstakes are heating up as we enter the weekend. On Friday, it was reported that the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Minnesota Twins all have four-year, $100 million offers on the table for the 34-year-old slugger. And while we always knew that Donaldson was most interested in that fourth year, it was never quite clear what his ideal number was in terms of total value.
Well, that mystery has reportedly been solved. Per insider Ken Rosenthal, the former AL MVP is pursuing a guaranteed sum in the $110 million range over those four years.
The signing of Starlin Castro marks the start of a possible Plan B for the #Nationals if Josh Donaldson signs with another club. Story: https://t.co/Hs3fWhVYrc
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 3, 2020
The free agent pool is dwindling with each passing week, and it goes without saying that Donaldson is the best of the bunch that remains in terms of position players. Therefore, he has all of the bargaining chips at his disposal, and is perfectly positioned to just wait these offers out until he is thoroughly satisfied.
Of course, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper took a similar approach last offseason. Both superstars didn't sign until February.
Nats still said to have dialogue going with Josh Donaldson, and thus, a chance — though some execs around the game see incumbent Braves as having perhaps a bit of an inside track. Those 2 teams plus Twins have bid 4 years and about 100M via @Feinsand
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 3, 2020
Whether that reported $110 million figure deter any of the Braves, Nationals, or Twins remains to be seen, but the Bringer of Rain has set his value, and will surely have the privilege of choosing the fattest offer of the bunch.
All we can do now is wait.