Well before the offseason began it was evident Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg were likely to be the most coveted players in free agency. Cole and Rendon were due to reach the open market, and Strasburg, the 2019 World Series MVP, joined them by opting out of his contract.
Despite the history of Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the team has been connected to Cole and Rendon. In Rendon’s case, he’s believed to be open to signing a short-term contract that would set a record in average annual value.
With the Dodgers seemingly open to signing a third baseman, their search has taken them Josh Donaldson. Expanding on the initial report of their interest, the Dodgers remain interested in the 33-year-old, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
As first reported by Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson is a legitimate consideration for the Dodgers.
Donaldson is a former American League MVP during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he endured an injury-plagued 2018 season. That led to signing a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves and opportunity to re-establish value in free agency.
Donaldson accomplished exactly that, batting .259/.379/.521 with 33 doubles, 37 home runs and 94 RBI over 155 games for the National League East champions. He earned the 2019 Players Choice Awards NL Comeback Player of the Year Award, besting Cincinnati Reds pitcher Sonny Gray and the Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Although Donaldson’s 2019 season may lead to a more lucrative contract when compared to last offseason, he has compensation attached due to declining the qualifying offer from the Braves.
By virtue of avoiding the luxury tax in 2019 and not being a team that receives revenue sharing, the Dodgers would lose their second-highest pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and $500,000 from their international signing bonus pool to sign Donaldson or any other free agent who declined the qualifying offer.
Should the Dodgers sign Donaldson or Rendon, Justin Turner has already expressed a willingness to play first base.
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