The Josh Donaldson sweepstakes have continued into 2020 with the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, and Minnesota Twins known to be among the teams pursuing the third baseman.
If the Mets want to secure their chances of making the playoffs and potentially winning the division, they should really consider jumping in and signing Donaldson themselves.
Donaldson, 34, had a resurgence in 2019 in which he hit .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI to give himself a 132 wRC+. He was an elite defender this past season as well with 15 DRS and a 2.4 UZR at the hot corner. Overall, he had a 4.9 fWAR.
That last number ranked only behind Jacob deGrom‘s 7.3 fWAR among current Mets, with Zack Wheeler and his 5.3 fWAR leaving to join the Philadelphia Phillies.
Earlier in the offseason, MetsMerized’s own Tim Ryder highlighted many reasons why Donaldson would be a great fit for the Mets as well and those still ring true.
Yes, Brodie Van Wagenen has labeled Jeff McNeil as the team’s third baseman in 2020, but that should not prohibit them from signing Donaldson as the Mets could simply move McNeil back to left field which would allow them to bench J.D. Davis which would improve the defense overall.
In 2019, the Mets’ defense ranked 24th in UZR (-12.8) and 29th in DRS (-93) which suggests a need for significant improvement if they really want to compete in 2020.
Donaldson’s addition and McNeil’s move to the outfield significantly improve the team defensively at third base and in left field which could prove to be crucial.
On the offensive side of things, the lineup listed below looks beautiful.
- Brandon Nimmo CF
- Pete Alonso 1B
- Jeff McNeil LF
- Josh Donaldson 3B
- Michael Conforto RF
- Robinson Cano 2B
- Wilson Ramos C
- Amed Rosario SS
Aside from how Donaldson improves the Mets, there might be a bigger reason as to why the Mets should try and sign him.
With the Nationals and Braves both in pursuit of the right-handed hitter, the balance of power in the division could shift to the team that ultimately signs him.
Atlanta would essentially complete their very strong offseason by retaining “the bringer of rain” while the Nationals would be getting the closest thing to an Anthony Rendon replacement available on the free agent market.
If the Mets were to swoop in, they could possibly leapfrog both in the standings in 2020. The Braves would actually be dealing with the loss of their star third baseman while the Nationals would have to turn to someone like Todd Frazier or attempt to pull off a big trade for Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado.
Last offseason, the Mets claimed that the big reason the Mets pulled the trigger on the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz deal was to keep Diaz away from the Phillies.
Donaldson’s ability to improve the Mets dramatically while also weakening their division rivals should convince the Mets’ front office to act with the same type of urgency they did when making that trade.
While signing Donaldson to the four-year, $110 million deal he reportedly wants would be pushing them over the $208 million luxury tax threshold in 2020, the team is expected to be significantly under that number after this season with Marcus Stroman, Yoenis Cespedes, Jed Lowrie, and Wilson Ramos in the last year of their contracts.
Penalties for teams that cross the luxury tax threshold for one year are minuscule and the Mets could easily get right under it again next season.
The point is, at the very least, the Mets should be making a strong attempt to bring Donaldson to Flushing for the 2020 season.
