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Report: Rangers, Phillies expressing interest in Donaldson

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The Texas Rangers head into the offseason with money to spend and a need for a proven third baseman, and it appears they've got their eyes on one of the game's best.

Texas has expressed interest in free agent Josh Donaldson, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Rangers head into next season without a clear-cut starter at the hot corner; catcher Isiah Kiner-Falefa and rookie Nick Solak played the position last year. Texas also has a flexible financial situation, as it's committed just $103 million in payroll for next season, according to Spotrac.

Additionally, the Philadelphia Phillies also appear to be interested in Donaldson, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Maikel Franco has manned third base as Philadelphia's starter for the last four seasons, but he was one of the least valuable players at his position in 2019 (minimum 400 plate appearances), according to FanGraphs WAR.

Donaldson had a bounce-back campaign in 2019 after signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves.

The 33-year-old appeared in 155 games for the National League East champions, hitting .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs, 33 doubles, and 94 RBIs. His 4.9 WAR ranked eighth among MLB third basemen and his 132 wRC+ was tied for seventh-best at the position, according to FanGraphs.

Donaldson was also solid defensively. He was an NL Gold Glove finalist at third base with 15 defensive runs saved and a .969 fielding percentage.

The Braves hope to keep Donaldson, though, as they already extended him a qualifying offer. The slugger said in September that he would "look forward to playing in (a Braves) uniform as long as I can," according to Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Donaldson will be attached to draft-pick compensation as a result of the qualifying offer.

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