Josh Donaldson comes off the free-agent market, but could he be a White Sox possibility a year from now?

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Josh Donaldson won't be playing third base for the White Sox in 2019.

A potential option for the South Siders this winter — and given their financial flexibility, who isn't? — came off the board Monday as one of the bigger free-agent dominos fell: Donaldson is heading to the Atlanta Braves.

Donaldson likely would have been in a similar class to Bryce Harper and Manny Machado this offseason had he stayed healthy during the past two seasons. Alas, he didn't, only playing in 113 games in 2017 and just 52 games in 2018. Those health concerns for the soon-to-be 33-year-old might have been enough to scare plenty of teams away. But not the Braves.

The White Sox don't have an immediate need at third base, necessarily, but their long-term future there is a mystery, one of the main reasons Donaldson seemed like a possibility this winter. Jake Burger, last year's first-round pick, suffered a pair of Achilles tears earlier this year. Yolmer Sanchez had a disappointing 2018. The White Sox might move Yoan Moncada to the hot corner as middle-infield prospect Nick Madrigal makes his way toward the majors.

Given what Donaldson has done in his career — he slashed .284/.375/.518 with 131 homers and 413 RBIs during a four-year stretch from 2013 to 2016 — he could still have plenty of pop left in his bat. And maybe we'll be talking about Donaldson, who has finished in the top eight in MVP voting a whopping four times, as an option for the White Sox a year from now, when he hits the free-agent market again (along with other star third basemen Nolan Arenado and Anthony Rendon). That figures to be the point of his one-year deal, so he can prove he's healthy and deserving of a big contract ahead of the 2020 season.

So don't throw away your pitch to convince Donaldson to come to the South Side. You might need it next winter.

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