MLB Insider Confirms Braves Made 4-Year Offer to Josh Donaldson
By Jerry Trotta
The Minnesota Twins shocked the baseball world when they pulled off the signing of coveted free agent Josh Donaldson late into the MLB's offseason.
When you consider the success that Donaldson enjoyed with the Atlanta Braves in 2019, many analysts presumed that the Bringer of Rain would re-sign with the organization.
Well, we might now have some insight as to why Donaldson favored the North Star State. Per insider Jon Heyman, the Braves did include the all-important fourth year on their offer to the former AL MVP. However, its annual salary was still lower than the club's original three-year offer.
Braves it turns out did make a 4-year offer to Josh Donaldson but still a lower AAV than their 3-year offer. It still hasn’t come out what Atlanta’s 4-year offer was, only that it was for somewhere between 75M and 90M. Twins got him at 92M after starting at 88M.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 7, 2020
Heyman notes that Atlanta's four-year offer was somewhere between $75 million and $90 million.
Now, Donaldson opting for a four-year, $92 million contract -- which could reach as much as $100 million if he opts into his fifth year option -- is much less shocking.
Instead of making, at the most, $22.5 million (it could have been much less than that) to return to the Braves, the 34-year-old will bank $23 million guaranteed in Minnesota.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson’s four-year contract with the Twins is for $92 million, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN. The deal, as @Ken_Rosenthal said, has a fifth-year option to get to $100 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 15, 2020
The highest bidder often comes out on top in these free agency sagas, and the Twins did just that to land Donaldson.