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Former Blue Jays all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson is said to be close to signing a deal with the Atlanta Braves.
According to Ken Rosenthal and others, it would be a one-year free agent contract at $23 million (pending a physical). The Braves’ GM is Alex Anthopoulos, who brought The Bringer of Rain to Toronto in Nov. 2014 from the Oakland A’s. The next year he was named the AL MVP. The one-year deal with the Braves would give Donaldson the chance to prove that, even though he will turn 33 next month and has a recent history of injuries, he can still be a star infielder and deserving of a long-term deal after the 2019 season.
On Aug. 31, 2018, the Blue Jays traded Donaldson to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later, later revealed to be pitching prospect Julian Merryweather. Merryweather underwent Tommy John surgery in March, but GM Ross Atkins is hopeful he’ll be ready for spring training in February. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander went 7-9 with a 5.32 ERA in 2017 between double-A and triple-A. He owns a career record of 23-20 and a 3.92 ERA in four minor-league seasons in 2017 and didn’t pitch in 2018.
Donaldson has been plagued by injuries the last two seasons. This year he suffered from dead arm syndrome, shoulder inflammation and a calf strain. He played in a total of 52 games, hitting .246 with eight home runs and a .801 OPS.
According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, the Jays will hire Matt Buschmann, replacing bullpen coach Dane Johnson. A former pitcher, Buschmann signed a minor league contract with the Jays, and was assigned to the triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He did not appear in any games for the Bisons in 2017. Last December, he was hired by the San Francisco Giants organization as an assistant director of player development.
