Josh Donaldson Returns to AL East in Trade to Yankees
The 2015 MVP will come to town more often this year.
Former Toronto Blue Jays third basemen Josh Donaldson will return to the American League East this season, following a trade from the Minnesota Twins to the New York Yankees. The 2015 MVP was flipped to New York in a multi-player swap that saw catcher Gary Sanchez and another former Blue Jay, Gio Urshela, go to Minnesota. The complete deal was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Donaldson played parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays from 2015 to 2018, leading Toronto to two playoff appearances while receiving MVP votes three times. The third basemen, now 36, led all of baseball in runs, RBI, and total bases in 2015, his MVP season.
After he was flipped at the 2018 waiver trade deadline to Cleveland for reliever Julian Merryweather, Donaldson has since played in Atlanta and Minnesota, before Sunday's trade to the Yankees.
In 249 career games at Rogers Centre—a park the Yankees will visit nine times in 2022—Donaldson has 65 homers and a .967 OPS. The hot corner received a standing ovation from Blue Jays fans during his latest visit to Toronto during the 2021 season. The veteran also swapped jerseys with Vlad Guerrero Jr. after a game.
"He told me 'hey, stay focused, keep working hard until the end,'" Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron.
Though Donaldson was well received during his 2021 trip to Toronto, it may be a different situation when he steps onto the Rogers Centre turf wearing Yankees pinstripes next year.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon