Should the Miami Marlins sign this former MVP?

The Miami Marlins are potentially trying to extend a key bat and now have a new closer. Wwhat about adding a veteran bat on a minimum salary? Would that be a good idea? The bat that I'm talking about is recently released 3B Josh Donaldson. Is he worth bringing in to help from the bench? Let's take a look...

The Miami Marlins can sign Josh Donaldson for bench depth.

The New York Yankees are having their worst season in 31 years. As they try to improve the team for next season, they decided to part ways with third baseman Josh Donaldson. Donaldson was on the injured list with a calf strain since July, but could be on his way back in September. Donaldson is a free agent at the end of the season, and the signing team will only be required to pay the minimum salary to him.

There was a time when Josh Donaldson was one of the top players in the game. He hit an .268/.347/.458 with the Oakland Athletics from 2010-2014. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, (in a rare bad trade for Oakland), and won the AL MVP award in his first season there. From 2015-2017, he batted .285/.387/.559 and was worth an amazing 18.9 WAR for that run. In the aforementioned 2015 season, he batted .297/.371/.568 with 41 home runs and 123 RBI. He was worth an astounding 7.1 WAR that season.

Donaldson split 2018 between Toronto and the then Cleveland Indians, batting .246/.352/.449 in a season shortened by injury. In 2019 with the Atlanta Braves, he hit .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI in 155 games and 549 AB. Things took a turn for the worse during his time with the Minnesota Twins (2020-2021), and the New York Yankees (2022-2023). He has batted just .225/.323/.428 in 328 games and 1122 AB. This season in particular, he's been worth -0.1 WAR and has batted .142/.225/.434.

The Miami Marlins already have a good third baseman in Jake Burger, but Donaldson may be useful as a bench bat. Maybe he has a hot streak with more motivation? A minimum salary may be worth taking a look at him.