After a lengthy delay, a divisional rival finally stepped up on Tuesday with a signing that should strike fear in the hearts of White Sox fans.
Yes, the Detroit Tigers signed Iván Nova to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million plus another $500,000 potential in incentives.
There's also the small matter of the Twins finally landing their big fish, and as you can see above, it's a helluva mullet. They're bringing in Josh Donaldson, who successfully bet on himself after two injury-shortened seasons and delivered a 5-to-6 WAR season over 155 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2019.
Donaldson didn't quite lock in the $100 million he sought as his camp tried to play the Twins off the Braves and Nationals, but he came close. His value maxes out at $100 million, as he's guaranteed $84 million over the first four seasons, followed by a $16 million club option for 2024. He did secure a hefty $8 million buyout for that club option, though, bringing the guaranteed total to $92 million.
After missing out on numerous second-tier pitching candidates -- they showed interest in Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu -- Donaldson was the one remaining free agent who could make a detectable difference. Along with the bat, he's still a strong defender at third base. Last year, the Twins played Miguel Sanó at third more than any other defender, and it shouldn't take those watching long to notice the swing, especially considering Sanó's numbers were that far underwater after barely half a season.
| Player | DRS | UZR | OAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Sanó | -5 | -1.9 | -5 |
| Josh Donaldson | 15 | 2.4 | 8 |
There's also the matter that Donaldson has torched White Sox pitching whenever he's faced it. He's a .333/.435/.686 lifetime hitter against the White Sox, with 15 homers over 44 games and more walks (29) than strikeouts (23). The only American League team he's demoralized more is the team he just signed with. That line is .395/.487/.852 over 43 games against the Twins.
What's worse? He contained all his struggles against the Sox to his first full season.
Over the last six seasons, Donaldson is hitting .364/.474/.770 with an astounding 27 walks to 15 strikeouts over 156 plate appearances. The year with 11 walks to one strikeout was the year he had the bum shoulder.
He's done a lot of memorable damage, hanging blown saves on David Robertson in back-to-back games in 2015.
He also took Reynaldo López deep and taunted Daryl Boston with a whistle-blowing gesture (which takes on a different meaning with that Slate story hanging out there).
There's a chance that Donaldson is mortal. He's 34, his strikeout rate has escalated into the 20s the last two seasons, and he'll call an outdoor cold-weather stadium home for the first time in his career. It might be harder for him to reach a 6 WAR season during this decade.
Still, with Donaldson the Twins have replaced the homers they accepted from C.J. Cron before non-tendering him, and they've insulated themselves from Sanó's volatility at a tougher defensive position. Throw in Donaldson's always-excellent OBP, and the Twins can still get a lot of utility from even a little decline. (All of this is why Donaldson was one of my top five free agent targets, even if it would've meant shifting Yoan Moncada.)
This signing regains a fair amount of ground the Twins lost to the Sox this winter, which is why I'm hoping the Sox treat this offseason as a basecamp, not a summit. There's still a lot of room to operate in future acquisition periods, but the immediate climb is more difficult. This is especially true if Donaldson's annual rampage over the Sox lasts a full 19 games instead of the usual seven. The prolonged exposure makes him something to tame, not just something to endure.
