Braves ink Donaldson to 1-year, $23M contract

The Atlanta Braves have signed free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson to a one-year deal worth $23 million.

The three-time All-Star is coming off of an identical one-year, $23-million contract that he originally signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, avoiding arbitration.

Donaldson was named the 2015 American League MVP and finished fourth in voting the following season. From 2014-16, only Mike Trout was worth more WAR among position players, according to FanGraphs.

The 32-year-old appeared in just 52 games in an injury-plagued 2018. After Toronto traded him at the end of August, Donaldson posted a .920 OPS through his final 16 games with the Cleveland Indians.

The deal represents a reunion of sorts as the two-time Silver Slugger joins general manager Alex Anthopoulos in Atlanta. Anthopoulos made the trade that brought Donaldson to the Blue Jays from the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2015 season.