Josh Donaldson may be the new “straw that stirs the drink” for the Yankees
On Sunday night, the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins swung a deal that sent catcher Gary Sanchez to Minnesota and third baseman Josh Donaldson to The Bronx (among other players).
Donaldson, if he can stay healthy, could be a good offensive upgrade for them at third base but it may not come without some drama: drama between him and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Josh Donaldson and New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole have a history
Let’s go back in time to early 2021 and something that you may have forgotten about. MLB decided to crack down on pitchers using “Spider Tack” and other foreign substances on baseballs. A number of pitchers in the majors started to struggle or saw their spin rates significantly decrease … including New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Back in early June, then-Minnesota Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson (who has never been one to mince words on the field or on social media) called out Cole by name for his struggles in May and June 2021.
“Is it coincidence that Gerrit Cole’s spin rate numbers went down (Thursday) after four minor-leaguers got suspended for 10 games?” said Donaldson.
Cole, who faced Donaldson just days later in Minnesota, glared at Donaldson multiple times when he went 0-for-3 against Cole.
When the Twins went to New York in August, Donaldson was showered with boos from Yankees fans. Regardless of what happens at first, the two will have to coexist in the Yankees clubhouse, at bare minimum.
However, it might not be the worst thing in the world if they had a bit of a rivalry. After all, the rivalry between Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson (and Billy Martin and pretty much everyone else on the late 1970s Yankees) worked out pretty well for the team as they won the World Series in 1977 and 1978.
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Maybe Donaldson can be the new “straw that stirs the drink for the Yankees” and he can help them return to the World Series for the first time since 2009.