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ATLANTA – Josh Donaldson needed the Braves. The Braves needed Donaldson.
So, this combination seems perfect.
The third baseman was formally introduced Tuesday by Atlanta Braves, his favorite team in his childhood. Donaldson has an agreement for one year and $ 23 million that offers the flexibility desired by both parties.
"We were looking for a bat for the middle part of our order," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos after a press conference at SunTrust Park, less than 24 hours after the club's announcement of the hiring of the company. receiver Brian McCann. "We had to find a way to do that."
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Donaldson was looking for a team that would pay him a considerable amount and give him the opportunity to show that he was healthy after three campaigns with injuries. He will earn the same salary he received last season and could be placed in a suitable position to sign a more lucrative contract if he retrieved the form with which he was named the most valuable player.
In addition, you can play with the team that you have supported as a child. Donaldson hails from Pensacola, Florida, and played collegiate baseball in Auburn, about two hours from SunTrust Park by car.
"I was a big fan of the Braves," he recalls. & # 39; & # 39; My first favorite player was Ron Gant. It's been part of the circle since I arrived at my first game of the Braves, my first major league match, when I was about 12 years old. I'm going to be 32 (next week) and I can wear this jersey with pride. & # 39; & # 39;
By committing only one year to Donaldson, the Braves serve as a priority and retain sufficient financial flexibility after 2019. Atlanta, the league's Eastern Division champion, is one of the most talented young majors, led by Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr., who won the rookie title of the year in the Old Circuit.
Under these conditions, the Braves did not want to do anything that would slow their progress in the long run.
"I think it's a win-win situation," said Anthopoulos. & # 39; & # 39; We love Josh. We are delighted to have it. But it's an agreement for a year. Beyond a year, we do not know what will happen, if it is not that we expect to throw champagne in our heads and we hope that he will have again one year of the most useful player. We would then have a very desirable problem. & # 39; & # 39;
Donaldson was the most valuable player in the American League in 2015, when he hit 41 homers and led the circuit with 123 RBIs in his first year with the Toronto tiles. It was acquired from Oakland Athletics through a colossal agreement designed by Anthopoulos, then managing director of Toronto.
While Donaldson has had two more seasons with more than 30 homeruns, a hip injury in 2016 and a right calf stroke in 2017, he has reduced his production.
In the last campaign, he was limited to 52 games due to inflammation of the shoulder and more calf problems. He hit .246 with just eight home runs and 23 RBIs.
He was loaned commercially to the Cleveland Indians on August 31 and played 16 games with the Indians, enough to convince the Braves that he was cured of his multiple health problems.
"The size of the sample was small, but it looked fantastic," said Anthopoulos. "He looked like the Josh we've always known, one of the best in this sport."
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