Rapid Reaction: Braves Make Their (First) Moves with Donaldson and McCann
The Atlanta Braves outperformed expectations in 2018. They made the playoffs and had multiple award winners at season’s end. In his first offseason at the helm last offseason, Alex Anthopolous did not want to rock the boat too much, preferring instead to see what he had in the number one farm system in baseball. His only real move from last year was a punt to 2019. He added 2018 salary in the form of Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir, and Brandon McCarthy with the upshot of spending bigger in 2019 and 2020. That spending bigger happened today, as news broke that Brian McCann and Josh Donaldson would don Braves jerseys for the 2019 season. Both moves make sense, both are moves that bring the club to a more well-rounded roster, and both are limited in terms of risk in that they are one-year deals.
Josh Donaldson
The Braves added Donaldson on a one-year deal for $23M, the same contract that he earned last year through arbitration. At age 32, he suffered through an injury-riddled year, failing to collect MVP votes for the first time since 2012. He ultimately proved healthy in Cleveland, hitting to the tune of a .280/.400/.520 line that we have grown to expect from Donaldson. If he’s healthy again after shoulder and Achilles problems, then this is a steal for the Braves. They effectively pay market price for Donaldson, without assuming the risk of future years’ decline.
As for how he fits in Atlanta, he displaces young Johan Camargo as the everyday third baseman. Camargo was worth 3.7 WAR last year, so the upgrade over Camargo at third base is not likely to be worth $23M. Rather, Camargo is now free to transition to a super-utility role, or simply take over at shortstop for Dansby Swanson, who now has 1200 big league games and a .683 career OPS. The pieces don’t fit together perfectly, but the depth of the roster is much improved. The Donaldson addition is less about displacing Camargo in the everyday lineup and more about dispatching Ryan Flaherty from a postseason roster.
Brian McCann
The Braves added Brian McCann for $2M. While the soon-to-be 35 year old definitely has his best years behind him, the addition gives the Braves a left-handed hitter to pair with Tyler Flowers behind the dish. He’s no longer elite at anything, including pitch framing and throwing runners out, but he brings something of a veteran presence behind the dish to the pitching staff. It will be interesting to see how McCann vibes with the Braves clubhouse that exuded joy throughout much of last year. The guy’s nickname, per baseball-reference, is the Fun Police. A decade of playing baseball in front of hundreds of cameras per night has earned him that nickname. Does his veteran presence bring an air of professionalism to a team was a little surprised by their own fortune last year or does he clash with the new school? Time will tell.
What’s Next
The Braves still have holes to fill in their pitching staff and in the outfield. Before today, those were also their two biggest holes.
But Braves fans finally have a reason for optimism. I have been preaching patience since 2015, through the Andrelton Trade, the Jaime Garcia acquisition, the trade rumors around Chris Sale (this one included a Jonathan Lucroy trade proposal), and the rumored Ronald Acuna for Christian Yellich swap. I bring up those pieces only in an effort to say that the time for patience is behind Braves fans. These one-year deals aren’t a sign that the Braves are going all-in on 2019, but they do indicate that the Braves expect to compete in 2019, that years of salary dumping and future considerations are in the past.
More deals will be coming, including for an everyday right fielder and more bullpen pieces. The Braves also hope to add a frontline starter to pair with their young staff and suddenly deep lineup. That’s a lot of uncertainty for the club, but the only thing that’s certain is that the Braves and Alex Anthopoulos are not punting on the 2019 season.
-Sean Morash
