Blue Jays sign star Josh Donaldson to one-year, $23-million deal
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins didn’t see a problem giving all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson a hefty raise for the upcoming season.
Donaldson and the Blue Jays avoided arbitration Friday by agreeing on a US$23 million, one-year contact — the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player.
“We didn’t by any means break the record, Josh did. Josh broke the record with his performance and quite frankly blew it out of the water,” Atkins said on a conference call. “We knew that was going to happen. It was just a matter of how much and if we could align in value and we’re very pleased that we did.”
The contract gives Donaldson a $6 million raise while also making the 2015 AL MVP the highest paid player on the Jays’ roster.