Return on former MVP Donaldson a player to be named

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke with reporters about the Josh Donaldson trade via conference call on Saturday. Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro -USA TODAY Sports

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

In 2015, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion represented one of the most potent 2-3-4 combinations in all of baseball.

Combined, the trio accounted for 120 home runs, 324 runs scored and drove in nearly 40% of the Blue Jays runs that year, figures which unquestionably helped propel Toronto into the postseason for the first time since Joe Carter touched 'em all in 1993.

Traded to Cleveland for a player to be named on Friday,  Donaldson represented Toronto's last remaining vestige of that three-headed monster. The Jays are paying $3 million on Donaldson's reamining contract.

Parting ways with a franchise icon is never an easy task.

We saw this scenario play out when Encarnacion signed a free agent deal with Cleveland despite receiving a better off from Toronto. That one can be chalked up to a misread of the market from both Encarnacion's camp and the Blue Jays front office. Encarnacion's agent did not want to agree to terms until the new Basic Agreement was reached. 

Bautista was next to leave after the Blue Jays decided not to exercise their part of a one-year $17M mutual option for the 2018 season. Given his performance the following season, that move was a little easier to swallow.

Donaldson's exit was a different beast altogether.

Hampered by injuries, the Bringer of Rain has been limited to just 149 games over the last couple of seasons. When healthy, he remained an effective threat at the dish as evidenced by a .261 batting average to go along with 70 extra-base hits and 95 RBI over that stretch.

But nearing the end of his contract in Toronto, the Blue Jays needed to try and extract every remaining ounce of value out of his current deal. This is why his name became available to any takers willing enough to make a play for the former American League MVP.

Admittedly, trading someone like Donaldson wasn't an easy to do.

"Every decision that we make, we weigh the potential risk and the upside too," explained Blue Jays general Manager Ross Atkins during a a conference call with reporters on Saturday. "We decided ultimately that this was the best thing for the organization as we considered our alternatives with Josh."

"There were four solid teams in play. We had very good alternatives and this was the best return. That's what it came down to. It was a very difficult decision for us and we ultimately decided that this was the best return."

Though the name of Toronto's coveted acquisition has yet to be released, the team's brass is confident they received full value out of Friday's transaction.

"(The player to be named later) is not related to Josh's health." said Atkins. "Out of respect to that player, and all parties involved, what I can tell you is that we're excited for that return. It's a near-term prospect that we feel will impact our major league team in a significant way."

Of course, trading Donaldson wasn't the only option Toronto was faced with when it came down to adding value out of a seemingly disenchanted talent.

One option could have seen the team extend him a qualifying option for 2019, placing the ball firmly in Donaldson's court. If he was to accept the estimated $18M offer, the Blue Jays would have retained control over the three-time All-Star and could have conceivably looked to deal him at the deadline if things didn't work out in the won-loss column. If he decided to deny the terms and head into free agency for the first time, Toronto would have received a first-round compensation pick in next year's draft.

"Had a trade not occurred, (extending Donaldson a qualifying offer) would have been something that we would have strongly considered," admitted Atkins.  "We felt that the trade was a good outcome for us at this time."

Many believe that there was additional pressure placed on Donaldson to rebound from his early-season injuries in an attempt to inflate the trade market when it came to acquiring his services for the season's final push.

According to Atkins, that wasn't the case at all.

"We were not pressuring him to play. Josh was driving his timeline entirely and he was leading us through when he wanted to play again," said Atkins. "When he was recovering, he was using our resources to recover. He was driving the timelines to push. When he wanted to take the next step, that was completely his call."

Atkins stated that the Blue Jays fully encouraged Donaldson to seek external opinions on his rehab throughout the 2018 season.

"We were making suggestions in and around the therapy and at one point he did decide to get an external consultation, which we 100% supported," said Atkins. "We flew him to that external consultation, and that person was another piece to the equation to trying to help him return to playing as quickly as possible."

This wasn't the first time Donaldson didn't exactly see eye to eye with the Blue Jays.

"Ultimately, Josh decided this past off season to follow his own path," said Atkins of Donaldson's off-season training. "He was not using our resources during the offseason, which is fine with us. We supported his desire to do that 100 percent."

Donaldson was injured in spring training of 2017, hence the decision to look elsewhere for treatment. Is there more to this rift than meets the eye?

We've yet to hear Donaldson's side of the story, so further details will surely come to light of the coming days. Regardless, his legacy in Toronto should remain unscathed despite this seemingly ugly transition.

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