Benefits of Austin Riley as Atlanta Braves everyday third baseman in 2020
By Seth Carter
Austin Riley had a roller-coaster first season with the Atlanta Braves. Here are the benefits of him becoming the everyday first third baseman in 2020.
In June of last season If you would have asked most Atlanta Braves’ fans about what we would do once Josh Donaldson moved on from his one-year deal, the answer was Austin Riley…duh!
Austin Riley had the look of the next Adam Dunn. He struck out a lot, but the power was prodigious.
Donaldson has many suitors after his great 2019 showing. MLB Trade Rumors has him projected at three years $75 million.
Teams' odds of signing JD. light. Related Story
A contract like that is a huge commitment to a 34-year old player who has dealt with injury problems two of the past three seasons.
As we saw this postseason, all of those bats aren’t terribly important if we don’t have frontline pitching. Re-signing Donaldson could ultimately mean sacrificing the quality of the pitching staff.
Don’t get me wrong, he was phenomenal last season. I would love to see the umbrella flying through the dugout in 2020. You have to love the fire and the defense he brings to the game. Donaldson is a proven middle-of-the-lineup bat and a leader in the clubhouse.
The Braves ended up with a payroll of $140 million at the end of last season. General Manager, Alex Anthopoulos said they exceeded the budget with the trade-deadline moves for bullpen help.
Judging by 2018’s payroll of $130.1 million, it is safe to assume the Braves will have somewhere between $130-$140 million to work with this season.
If Donaldson is going to command $25 million per year over three to four years, the Braves may be out on him and it might be for the best.
3 reasons not to re-sign JD. light. Related Story
The benefit to letting Donaldson sign elsewhere would be the ability to acquire two of the top free agent pitchers on the market.
In order for this to play out perfectly, Austin Riley needs to be given a chance to prove that he is (or isn’t) the long-term answer at the hot corner in Cobb County.
Here are a few reasons why there is hope.