Bidding at Four Years For Donaldson

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Twins and Nationals likely have four-year offers on the table for free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson. Rosenthal notes that $100 million guaranteed remains a possibly for the veteran.

Donaldson, just turned 34, had a monster season in 2019 when he hit .259/.379/.521 with 33 doubles, 37 home runs, and posted a 6.1 WAR in 155 games for the Braves.

Dodgers and Braves remain in the mix per Rosenthal as well.

Lindor Sweepstakes Could End Soon

In the same report, Rosenthal says that Indians are telling interested teams in trading for star shortstop Francisco Lindor, that they want each team’s final offer so they can assess over the weekend.

According to my sources the Mets had serious discussion with the Indians about Lindor, though they balked at the asking price given him having only two years of control.

Rosenthal sees the Reds, Dodgers, and Padres as the most interested teams. The switch-hitter is only 26 years old and has averaged 5.7 WAR per season.

White Sox Bring Back Gio

Left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez was drafted in the first round by the White Sox back in 2004. They would trade him a year later as part of a deal that netted Chicago Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Less than a year after that trade, Gonzalez was traded back to the White Sox by the Phillies for Freddy Garcia. He stayed with the Chicago – never pitching in the big leagues – for two years before being shipped to Oakland for Nick Swisher.

Gio is back to where it all started for him according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The 34-year-old had a 3.50 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 1.7 WAR in 87 1/3 innings during the 2019 season for the Brewers.

Teheran Headed Out West

Long-time Braves starter Julio Teheran is headed to the Angels on a one-year, $9 million deal according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. He was non-tendered by the Braves last month.

Teheran, 28, had a 3.81 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 2.4 WAR for the Braves in 174 2/3 innings this past season. For the seventh straight season, Teheran made at least 30 starts.

Franco Leaving NL East Too

Another career NL East player in Maikel Franco is leaving the division, the third baseman is signing with the Royals per Heyman. The deal is for one year that guarantees Franco $2.9 million and he could earn another $1.05 million from incentives.

Franco, 27, was brutal in Philly last year with a .234/.297/.409 slash line, 80 OPS+, and -0.8 WAR in 123 games. Over the last four seasons, Franco’s WAR is only 0.1 in 560 games. He has -32 defensive runs saved in his career at third base.

Twins Sign Multiple Former Mets

The Twins announced a slew of minor league signings including three former Mets in Jack Reinheimer, Cody Asche, and Wilfredo Tovar. They also signed left-handed pitchers Danny Coulombe and Caleb Thielbar.

Reinheimer was the most recent former Mets player, he went 5-for-30 with nine strikeouts in 2018 after being claimed off waivers.

Rockies Really Trade Arenado?

Rosenthal reports there’s legitimate chance the Rockies trade superstar Nolan Arenado if they can find a match. One team that continues to show interest is the Texas Rangers after they missed out on Anthony Rendon and potentially Donaldson.

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that while the Rangers are simply doing “due diligence” at this time, their interest in the third baseman is “genuine.”

Yankees Ready to Panik 

Buster Olney of ESPN reports that the Yankees have discussed signing second baseman Joe Panik.

The 29-year-old hit .277/.333/.404 in 39 games for the Mets last year after signing in August. Overall, he hit .244/.315/.336 with 21 doubles and five home runs in 2019 between the Giants and Mets. The last time he posted a positive WAR, was his 1.2 during the 2017 season.