The Atlanta Braves have signed 3B Josh Donaldson to a one year, $23 million contract, and C Brian McCann to a one year, $2 million deal.
This all comes as a surprise to me. Well, at least Donaldson does. With Johan Camargo at third and Dansby Swanson at short, it seemed that the Braves didn\’t need Donaldson. The former MVP who missed most of 2018 due to injury, Donaldson\’s age and recent health issues likely would have limited him to a one year deal, and it did. He got a lot of money for one year, while not too much. A one year deal could be good for Donaldson. If he has a good year, he\’d return to free agency next year as a 34 year old free agent, and could get more money, but still probably not a multiyear deal. This could mean that Camargo could shift over to shortstop, and a trade including Swanson could happen.
Donaldson, who will be 33 by the beginning of the season, had a .246 batting average, .352 OBP, eight home runs and 23 RBIs in 219 Plate Appearances between the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. His best MLB season was his 2015 MLB campaign. That year, he had a .297 batting average, .371 OBP, 41 home runs and 123 RBIs for the Blue Jays. In his MLB career for the Indians, Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics, Donaldson has a batting average of .275, an OBP of .367, 182 home runs and 551 RBIs in 3817 Plate Appearances.
The McCann signing comes as less of a surprise. Since Kurt Suzuki signed with the Nationals, the Braves needed a catcher to platoon with Tyler Flowers. While there were better options out there, the Braves decided to go with the cheaper McCann, who is a Georgia native and played the first nine seasons of his career with the Braves, making seven all-star teams.
McCann, 34, had a batting average of .212 with an OBP of .301, seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 216 Plate Appearances for the Houston Astros in 2018. His best career season was in 2008 with the Braves, when he had a .301 batting average, .373 OBP, 23 home runs and 87 RBIs in 573 Plate Appearances. In his MLB career for the Braves, Astros and New York Yankees, McCann has a batting average of .263, an OBP of .338, 270 home runs and 973 RBIs in 6534 Plate Appearances.
CarterHud 