It has been reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal that the Atlanta Braves have struck a pair of one-year deals with catcher Brian McCann and third baseman Josh Donaldson. The Braves will be spending a total of $25 million between the two, as Donaldson is getting $23 million and McCann is getting $2 million. Atlanta made the postseason last year winning the NL East, but the young and inexperienced core was taken out swiftly in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Brian McCann is especially noteworthy considering he was a perennial All-Star in Atlanta for most of his playing career before leaving in 2014.

Donaldson spent most of last year injured but did decently with the Cleveland Indians down the stretch of the regular season.

Donaldson's value

Josh Donaldson (32) getting one year, but a significant pay is likely due to the fact he was injured much of last season. He played in 52 total games between Toronto and Cleveland. Yet there is no reason to believe he cannot be productive. Just in 2017, he was still hitting over 30 home runs with a .385 on-base percentage and .944 OPS.

From 2013-2017, he slashed .282/.377/.524 with 164 home runs and 491 RBIs. He was the 2015 AL MVP.

Having a veteran productive bat can help in a lot of ways. On days he plays the hot corner, he will be alongside the likes of Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson on the infield. If Donaldson is healthy in 2019, then he can still probably put up 30 home runs and a .370 on-base in a full season.

With the fact that it is a one-year deal, it is a relatively low-risk move on an aging player despite the salary.

McCann's homecoming

Braves' fans are very familiar with Brian McCann. The 34-year old backstop wanted to return to the team that drafted him and the team he spent nearly a decade with, according to Rosenthal. From 2005-2013, McCann donned a Braves uniform and slashed .277/.350/.473 with 176 home runs in 1,105 games.

In that time he was selected to seven All-Star games and won five Silver Sluggers. He spent 2014-2016 with the New York Yankees and the last two seasons with the Houston Astros where he won a ring in 2017.

McCann has not played in 100+ games since 2016 and the production has dipped. Last year he hit .212 with seven home runs in just 63 games, embracing more of a backup role. Right now Tyler Flowers is set to be the other catcher on the roster with Kurt Suzuki leaving in free agency. The statistical trends and age mean he probably will not be the guy he was in his prime, but a having a veteran catcher who can still hit for some pop is never a bad thing to have.

The Atlanta Braves are looking to continue their success with this new core, and adding veteran strength should be of big help to further develop guys and fill in some holes.
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