Josh Donaldson

[statman0007]

The playoffs showed us that we need to make improvements on our offense this off-season. I see the biggest need as a power hitting right-handed bat given the quantity of lefty pitchers the Cubs and Dodgers have. I think Donaldson could be a good fit if he is willing to take a 1 year deal coming off an injury plagued year. This would allow us to continue using Shaw at 2B which I thought went remarkably well. Even if Hiura is ready to contribute at mid-season we would be able to get Shaw in the lineup against all right-handed pitchers as Shaw could play at 3B, 2B, and 1B. Donaldson, Hiura, and Aguilar are guys that will need some regular off days.

[long ball]

I’d be very interested in Donaldson. I agree with your assessment of needing some right handed hitting on the infield.

 

I don’t know what he will end up getting in free agency. He’s old and coming off an injury. He was pretty effective when healthy this season. If it’s a one or two year deal I’d be very interested. Beyond that I’d pass.

[tmwiese55]

This is an idea I can get behind. I've had him kicking around in the back of my head too. It's going to come down to if someone else gives him a legit contract or not, you know MKE likely isn't going beyond two years. 3 at most if there is team options involved. I just don't know what the market is going to be for him

[OnaBadger58]

Donaldson will be 33 when he plays his next game, so I doubt he will settle with a 1-year contract. I wouldn't have an issue with giving him a two year deal because he is exactly the type of player this team needs.

[wallus]

Sign Donaldson and move Shaw to 2nd.

[jerichoholicninja]

Injuries and age. Aside from a one year deal, no thanks.

[KCBrewerfan34]

Whats his ask going to be $15-20 million per, on a 2-4 year deal?

[OnaBadger58]

Whats his ask going to be $15-20 million per, on a 2-4 year deal?

I would guess he'll ask for 3 or 4 years for about $75-100 million. I could see a team giving him 3 years 45 million.

[DR28]

Yes please! Josh is exactly the RH power bat we need.

 

Cain

Yelich

Braun

Donaldson

Shaw

Aguilar

Catcher

Arcia

[TURBO]

Not wise in our current situation to have another massive injury risk on the team for the kind of $ it would cost to get him.

 

Imagine he and Braun eating up 40 million of our total salary and both hitting the DL 3 or 4 times each season. Nope.

 

Plus, he's old.

 

Hard pass for me.

[tmwiese55]

If he gets 3 years you just move on to someone else. 2 years though I can see the risk being worth it, of course it depends on the amount before anyone can say definitively. Maybe even can offer him an opt out after 1 if that entices him, kind of a show me year for him.

[HiAndTight]

I think most teams are gonna offer a 1 year deal given how his year went this past year. If we offer a 2 year deal with a 3rd year option and maybe a 2nd year opt out for the player....that'd work fine with me.

 

Shaw was basically average at 2nd and we know how good Donaldson can be at 3rd. That said, I don't think we NEED to add a bat to this lineup right now. The Dodgers and their starters are pretty damn tough and we were leading late with our closer in-in game two, went to 13 in game 4 and then lost to a 24 year old with ridiculous stuff in game 7.

 

I think Hirura by next Sept is gonna be a perfect fit in the two hole and I could easily see him slashing .295/.365/.450. Or Schoop. He struggled badly, but that was obviously a small smaple size. Look at what he did before coming over. He'd fit the bill as a big right handed bat without having to take a chance on an older, injury plagued player and he can duplicate his 2017 season, we have another ~.300 hitter and 30 HR bat at a premium position without giving anything else up.

 

Oh yeah, and Domingo. I think he'll bounce back, Braun-IF he hits the ball like he did this year, his AVG should be about 20 points higher and be a very effective RH'ed bat for 120 games and I trust Aguilar to re-adjust to the pitchers.

[OnaBadger58]

If he gets 3 years you just move on to someone else. 2 years though I can see the risk being worth it, of course it depends on the amount before anyone can say definitively. Maybe even can offer him an opt out after 1 if that entices him, kind of a show me year for him.

Agreed. I'd be willing to 2 years for Donaldson with a mutual option or even player option attached to it. There were reports that before the year started he declined a 3 year extension worth $75 million or potentially more. He bet on himself this last year and we all know the result.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a team willing to add a 3rd year to a contract because Donaldson is a heck of a player. That reoccurring calf injury plus his age can be a scary investment though.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'd take flyer on Dozier bouncing on a one year deal.

[long ball]

I don't really know what a good comp for a Donaldson deal would be from the 2017 season.

 

Moustakas was healthy and younger, but not as good as Donaldson. 1 year $6.5m

 

Frazier was healthy and younger, but not as good. 2 years $17m

 

Walker was healthy and younger, but not as good. 1 year $4m

 

in 2016/17 offseason Justin Turner got 4 years $64m. He was younger and healthier at the time, but might be closest in terms of impact.

 

The year before that Asdrubal Cabrera got 3 years $25m. Different position, but similar hitter Cespedes got 3/75 but was younger and healthier.

 

 

 

Best I could guess is the AAV will be similar to Turner at $16m/yr. Number of years will be the big question. The fact that the Blue Jays were going to be unwilling to give him a QO probably means he'll sign for less than a QO.

[OnaBadger58]

Jose Bautista (2012 - Age 30) - 5 years $64m

Nelson Cruz (2015 - Age 34) - 4 years $57m

Adrian Beltre (2011 - Age 32) - 5 years $80m

 

**and of course

Robinson Cano (2014 - Age 31) - 10 years $240m

 

Donaldson, who will be 33 next year, was a top 5 WAR player 2011-2016, and would have been as well if he was healthy in 2017. Honestly, I have no idea what he will get, but I think there will be a team that is willing to pay "overpay" for him.

[3and2Fastball]

I'd be thrilled to get the 2016 Donaldson, but without a time machine I think it is unlikely he'll ever return to playing like that. If Doug Melvin was still around I could the Brewers making exactly that type of move. Melvin always seemed a year or two late & a dollar short on his free agent attempts.

 

Stearns, however, will be much more likely to unearth some RH bat that most of us have never heard of, who will be under age 28 and ready for his prime years. We'll give up somebody like Davies for him and a lot of us in the trade thread will decry the stupidity of it all....

[Lathund]

If the market for Donaldson indeed ends up at some kind of 1 year or 1 year + option(s) type of deal, we really should be all over it if he's healthy. Even if he's at 2018 levels it would be an OK deal, and I feel good about him being better than that. Should be wary of a longer deal, but a 1 year deal is nothing to be afraid of, as there aren't really any ripple effects, and you know exactly what the worst case scenario is.

[ilikewisco]

I'd take flyer on Dozier bouncing on a one year deal.

 

After watching Dozier do the stupid tear thing after he got hits in the NLCS I wouldn't want to see him on the Brewers. Seems like a d-bag to me and I'd have a hard time rooting for him. And he looked pretty bad this year.

[3and2Fastball]

Dozier is below average on defense, that is for sure...

 

My guess is that moving forwards, Donaldson's hitting will be somewhat like Ryan Braun 2017/2018

[Madhawk23]

If the market doesn't materialize for Donaldson as he hopes it would this winter, I do wonder if it Milwaukee might be an attractive team for him to consider on a 1 year deal? Work out an incentive laden deal for him, and maybe there even could be a mutual option for a 2nd year (just like the Royals gave Moose last winter). I'm guessing he'd have to like the idea of playing for a contending team next year where he can show off his skills and have other good bats around him in the lineup, and what hitter wouldn't like to have 1/2 of their games in hitter friendly Miller Park?

 

With that said - I understand that he's probably going to be trying to get a 3-4 year deal this winter, but that may just not materialize if this winter is anything like last year.

 

This type of move would also give us some flexibility to not have to rush Hiura next year - and maybe even gives us the ability to include him in blockbuster type deal for someone like Realmuto?

[MrTPlush]

I'd take flyer on Dozier bouncing on a one year deal.

 

After watching Dozier do the stupid tear thing after he got hits in the NLCS.

 

We are the Brewers. We think of some "stupid thing" to do after hits like it is going out of style. Orlando Arcia dabs about 3 times a year when he hits a homer.

[Boomer5]

I remember reading on twitter that Donaldson was allegedly a bit of a jerk. I have zero idea of its true but after seeing Machado up close we really want good chemistry guys.

[Eye Black]

From this MLB.com Free Agent Article:

 

Josh Donaldson, 3B (33 years old)

Donaldson played just 165 games over the past two seasons as he battled a nagging left calf injury, so teams will be taking some risk by signing him. But the veteran could wind up being a free-agent bargain if he can rebound in his age-33 campaign. The third-base market is weak beyond Manny Machado, and not every club can afford the 26-year-old, which could work in Donaldson's favor. The August trade to Cleveland also means he can't receive a qualifying offer, which should help his cause.

 

Interested teams: Indians, Brewers, Braves

 

What surprised me the most was not even that the Brewers were included under the interested teams, but more that the Cardinals were excluded. I think the Cardinals have been considered the favorite to sign Donaldson to this point.

[ilikewisco]

I'd take flyer on Dozier bouncing on a one year deal.

 

After watching Dozier do the stupid tear thing after he got hits in the NLCS.

 

We are the Brewers. We think of some "stupid thing" to do after hits like it is going out of style. Orlando Arcia dabs about 3 times a year when he hits a homer.

 

Dozier did the dab then tear thing. He was purposely showing up Arcia and looked like a whiny d-bag. I'd rather he go to the Cards or Cubs or something. Not a fan and he stunk last year anyway. I'd rather bet on a 27 yo Schoop rebounding than a washed up Dozier.

 

I'd be a pass on Donaldson as well, unless the market fell through like it did for Moustakas last year. I don't see the point in continuing to play Shaw out of position. A handful of times a month is ok, but Donaldson would be the 3B and Shaw would spend most of the time out of position. Though Shaw looked capable at 2B last year, if they did want to keep that as an option it would make more sense to bring in a LH 2B or 3B.

 

Edit: I'll probably end up eating my words on Dozier. I think it was game 5 he had those hits and made those gestures. Rubbed me the wrong way at the time. Never had an opinion on him before, and if he goes back to a 30 hr player he would be great. I'd have a hard time rooting for him on the Brewers for a while though. If Schoop isn't brought back he probably makes a lot of sense, I'd rather see a LH bat than can play SS though. So I guess Cabrera. I'd rather just stick with Schoop.