Rendon deal could trigger Donaldson to be next signing

The Angels signed free agent third baseman Anthony Rendon Wednesday night to a seven-year, $245 million contract.

So, is Josh Donaldson next? The former Braves third baseman could be the favorite target of the Rangers and Dodgers, two teams who were in on Rendon until the very end.

It seems Donaldson will get a four-year contract, and the Braves may be hesitant to give that fourth year to a 34-year-old third baseman. The Rangers, who are going into a new ballpark next season, might be willing to give that extra year to Donaldson.

Where would that leave the Braves? Well, they’ve been rumored to be interested in free agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna. In that situation, Ozuna would play left and third base would go to Johan Camargo or Austin Riley.

But the rumors linking the Braves to Cubs’ third baseman Kris Bryant won’t go away. Analysts on MLB Network continued to speculate that Atlanta was the perfect fit for Bryant, if the Cubs decide to trade the former NL MVP.

It might be a few weeks, however, as we are all waiting for Bryant’s grievance to be decided on and that could change his future free agent status. If Bryant wins the grievance, he could become a free agent after 2020, but if he loses there would be two years before Bryant would be a free agent.

There have been rumors the Cubs like Atlanta outfielder Ender Inciarte, who could be part of a trade to Chicago. The Cubs may want one of Atlanta’s starting pitchers, and Mike Foltynewicz could be dangled in a deal considering his 2020 salary that could top $7 million.

Bryant could play third base or left field. If Bryant were in the outfield, the Braves could play Austin Riley at third base.

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