Jose Rodriguez
GCL Twins - Rookie
OF
OF
Let's look back at the Donaldson signing. Was it worth it?
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I really hold back what I would like to say about then payroll arguments here. The fact that people don't accept the amount taken in dictates the amount going out requires one of two things. Extreme financial ignorance or fanatical bias that prevents the acceptance of something some basic. I did not change the argument. It's the same idiocy over and over. Do you really want to be on the side that suggests revenues does not determine spending capacity?· 0 replies
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Posted by bighat,
It wasn't worth it, but there's a lot to unpack:
First, the pandemic timing couldn't have been worse for this deal. The contract was pretty big for a player moving into his mid 30s. It was clear that the Twins were counting on HUGE numbers from Donaldson during his first 2 years of the contract: 2020, and 2021. They'd settle for decent numbers in 2022-23, even if it meant overpaying an older player a bit. Unfortunately along came Covid-19 and the first year of the deal was almost completely snuffed out. Even Los Angeles or New York would have felt stung by the horrible timing of this signing, for a team like Minnesota it was horrific.
Next, I think the Twins had plenty of information on Donaldson's character and they were totally on board. They figured this team needed a firebrand, a sparkplug, someone with a bit of an attitude - and why not? Being nice guys wasn't getting them any playoff success, it was worth a shot. What they didn't count on was that Donaldson's attitude could be toxic if allowed to go unchecked. With Toronto he had other big personalities like Joey Bautista, and more big names like Edwin Encarnacion. The Blue Jays were kind of a team filled with "bad boys" (at least on the field) and Donaldson's red-assed behavior didn't seem to affect them much. Alas, when he became the focal point of the team in Minnesota, it just didn't seem to be a good fit long-term. One specific incident I remember was when he hit a HR in Chicago and then was immediately kicked out after showing up the umpire. Yeesh. On the flipside, it's also worth pointing out that there were several articles when Donaldson joined about how helpful he was with young hitters in Spring Training.
Injuries also muddied the waters on the Donaldson signing. Opening up a season, his first hit of the year went for a double in Milwaukee, which was fantastic but he strained his calf on the play and was out for a month. Pretty brutal. Whether it be bad luck or lack of preparation, either way it was just damn unfortunate.
One huge positive was that the Twins showed MLB that they would indeed be able to compete with the rest of the big boys for the biggest free agent names in baseball. They then went out and got Correa two years later, so the Twins have signed the most coveted free agent bats in baseball 2 of the past 4 years. Players and agents are taking notes, it helps the reputation.
Overall the Donaldson signing wasn't worth it, but it wasn't a complete failure. The fact that this team was able to get out from under that contract and flip Josh for a starting catcher and a solid infielder certainly eases the pain. The Twins could have been handicapped long-term by this signing, but they saw a chance to cut bait and should be applauded for doing so. All too often teams hang on to sunk costs and pay a much steeper price.
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