Report: Twins land Donaldson with 4-year, $92M deal
The Minnesota Twins and free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson have agreed to a four-year contract, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The deal will pay Donaldson $84 million over the first four years and includes a $16-million club option with an $8-million buyout, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Altogether, Donaldson is guaranteed $92 million over the life of the contract and can earn up to $104 million based on escalators.
Prior to the Twins inking the 34-year-old, the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves were among his most aggressive pursuers on the free-agent market.
Since Donaldson rejected a qualifying offer from the Braves, Atlanta will receive a compensation pick after Competitive Balance Round B in the 2020 draft, according to MLB Pipeline. The Twins will forfeit their third-round selection as a result.
A three-time All-Star, Donaldson had a resurgent 2019 with the Braves after an injury-plagued 2018 spent between the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians. In 155 games with the Braves, he hit .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBIs.
Donaldson won the 2015 AL MVP in his first season with the Blue Jays when he hit a career-high 41 home runs and 123 RBIs to help eventually lead Toronto to the ALCS.
Donaldson joins a potent Twins lineup that mashed a major-league record 307 home runs in 2019.
Here's the Twins' potential 2020 lineup:
| Player | Pos. | L/R |
|---|---|---|
| Max Kepler | RF | L |
| Jorge Polanco | SS | S |
| Nelson Cruz | DH | R |
| Josh Donaldson | 3B | R |
| Eddie Rosario | LF | L |
| Mitch Garver | C | R |
| Luis Arraez | 2B | L |
| Miguel Sano | 1B | R |
| Byron Buxton | CF | R |
Minnesota will also have Marwin Gonzalez, Jake Cave, and Alex Avila among its options off the bench.