Brian Cashman: Josh Donaldson ‘Still Has Game Left’

The Yankees GM believes Donaldson’s bat can bounce back next year after a disappointing first season in the Bronx.

The Yankees continued to defend and show faith in Josh Donaldson on Tuesday, as Brian Cashman offered the third baseman a vote of confidence.

Cashman, speaking at the general managers meetings, praised Donaldson’s glove and pushed back against the idea that the 36-year-old is past his prime offensively. While Donaldson shined in the field during his first season in pinstripes, he regressed in multiple offensive categories and became a target for jeers throughout New York’s postseason.

Donaldson went 5-29 (.172) with a .333 on-base percentage, one double, zero RBI and 16 strikeouts in the playoffs. That followed a regular season that saw him slash .222/.308/.374 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI. Donaldon’s 97 wRC+ and 1.6 fWAR were his lowest ever over a full season, and a good chunk of his Baseball Savant percentile rankings have slid in the wrong direction since 2021.

Baseball Savant

Baseball Savant

Despite contradicting numbers – and Donaldson’s unpopularity among some Yankees fans – Cashman believes the former MVP will bounce back at the plate in 2023.

“I don’t think it goes away that quickly,” he said of Donaldson’s bat, per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. “That’s basically it. I think he still has game left. I think he has a chance to impact that win column. He did it for us in a different way, more so on the defensive side, but he’s certainly capable of a lot.”

Cashman is right to say that Donaldson helped the Yankees defensively – the general manager couldn’t believe he wasn’t a Gold Glove finalist – but the team needs more out of the three-time All-Star next season. Donaldson is set to make $21 million; for that price, his work at the hot corner doesn’t mask league average production at the plate.

That contract will also make it hard for the Yankees to trade Donaldson this offseason, so it’s no surprise that Cashman and Aaron Boone have been speaking highly of him. For better or worse, New York is likely stuck with Donaldson next season, but Cashman feels there’s more left in a bat that didn’t help much this past year.

“He’s our third baseman right now,” Cashman said. “He’s signed for next year, so he’s our third baseman. If there’s something different there, I’ll let you know. I thought he played excellent defense. He’s a better hitter than what he showed.

“I can easily say he’s a two-way force in this game, in my opinion.”

Time will tell if that can be the case for Donaldson once again, but it certainly wasn’t in 2022.

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