Officially hanging up his spikes, the former Blue Jays MVP caps off an amazing career
Alex Anthoplous made a trade with the Oakland Athletics in November 2014 to acquire Donaldson in return for Brett Lawrie, Franklin Barreto, Sean Nolin, Kendall Graveman, and Brett Lawrie. Given that Donaldson went on to defeat the incredible Mike Trout to win the American League MVP award, this would prove to be one of the finest agreements of his career. From 2013 to 2021, Donaldson had the second-highest fWAR (43.7) of any player in baseball. As the only other Blue Jay to ever win the MVP, he joins George Bell in solidifying his significance and history within the organization.
This would turn out to be among his greatest transactions.
The Jays’ team had been losing interest in previous years, but the Donaldson era helped reignite passion. Fans needed a reason to hope that the following seasons will be different because the Jays hadn’t made it to the postseason since 1993. Playing a solid third base and a major power hitter, Donaldson was an essential member of the Jays lineup. He was a constant presence for the Jays in crucial situations, turning in a number of outstanding regular season and postseason performances. In 2015, Donaldson played a major role in ending the team’s 22-year playoff drought.
This would turn out to be among his greatest transactions.
Donaldson has expressed his belief in that 2015 roster as well. “We all felt the same and we all knew there was one goal in mind and we knew that we were good.” Donaldson stated on Blair and Barker of The FAN. “And then, on top of that, we played really well.” Donaldson genuinely believed in his own abilities and that of his 2015 teammates, even if they lost to the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS that season. “We were capable of winning the World Series. Simply put, it wasn’t our series.
This would turn out to be among his greatest transactions.
When the Jays were about to complete a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers in the ALDS in 2016, one of Donaldson’s most memorable moments occurred. With Donaldson on second base in the bottom of the tenth inning, he was able to score the winning run when Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor mishandled the ball. Fans of the Jays will always remember it fondly as “The Donaldson Dash”.
This would turn out to be among his greatest transactions.
But it wasn’t always ideal for Donaldson. He spent a lot of time out of the field in both 2017 and 2018, despite spending four seasons with the Jays. Donaldson continued to battle with injuries towards the conclusion of his career, even though he was still developing into a fantastic player. Donaldson looked to have reached his breaking point by the time he was moved to the New York Yankees, registering a pitiful 90 OPS+ in his final two seasons.
Throughout his big league career, Donaldson was renowned for being irritable, frequently getting into arguments with managers, pitchers, umpires, and most recently, Tim Anderson. As he embarks on a new chapter in his life, The Bringer of Rain will be remembered for his unwavering refusal to give up.