Toronto Blue Jays: Could trouble be brewing with Josh Donaldson?
Josh Donaldson may be on his way out of Toronto after the latest statement from Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro.
Josh Donaldson took Major League Baseball by storm in 2015, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to their first Postseason appearance in 22 years. During his MVP campaign, the third basemen’s stats were just out of this world — .297 batting average, 41 HR, 123 runs, and 123 RBI — to go along with a solid glove at the hot corner.
Even though the slugger’s numbers have dropped off a bit, he is still a force to be reckoned with, and even caught the eye of many potential playoff teams before the trade deadline, but the Blue Jays decided to not move him to an opposing team.
Approaching the end of his current two-year contract, with the backside of it being for a cool 17 million, questions have arisen whether the slugger will stay in Toronto, or venture back into the good ole U.S. of A. in 2018.
In a recent radio interview with Mark Shapiro, some new details shed some light on Donaldson’s 2018 fate:
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Woah. I’m left totally speechless after that. There wasn’t much in that quote, but it speaks volumes, with those contradicting words. In order to build a championship team, you need a collection of talent and a superstar player leading the way. I understand you need to clear some cap space to bring other pieces in, but paying Donaldson 10-15 million per season is worth every penny.
The Blue Jays are apparently content with their two recent playoff appearances because they are not going to sniff the playoffs for a long time with that mentality. Keep in mind that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles, within their division, have a plethora of talent, which will also hinder them from entering Postseason play.
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The door seems to be sealed shut in Toronto, but no matter where Donaldson ends up in 2018, he will be an asset that will help an aspiring playoff team get over the hump.