What does Josh Donaldson get after finishing fourth in the American League Most Valuable Player balloting last season? The major league minimum salary.
According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Athletics have renewed Donaldson’s contract at $500,000 for 2014. It’s a modest raise from the $492,500 he made last year, which was just above the (then) major league minimum salary of $490,000.
Heyman writes that Donaldson was initially offered more slightly more than $500,000, but the Athletics opted to renew his contract at the minimum after he declined the terms. It doesn’t look good, but the Athletics are within their rights to do it, as Donaldson isn’t yet arbitration-eligible.
Donaldson, 28, batted .301/.384/.499 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI over 158 games last season.
