The Toronto Blue Jays have finally decided to part with Josh Donaldson, and they’re sending him to Cleveland.
The Jays traded Donaldson to the Indians just hours before Friday’s waiver trade deadline passed, as first reported by Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. The Jays are receiving a player to be named later and paying a portion of the money Donaldson is owed.
The acquisition is a gamble for a few reasons. Donaldson has only played in 36 games this season. He missed time early in the year with a dead arm. Since then a calf injury has caused him to miss most of the season. On top of not knowing what they might get from Donaldson, it’s unclear how the Indians’ infield will be affected. Jose Ramirez is having an MVP season at third base, and manager Terry Francona has been opposed to moving him. Jason Kipnis has not been getting the job done at second, so either Ramirez or Donaldson would likely move to the right side of the infield.
In 36 games, Donaldson has batted .234 with a .757 OPS. He was AL MVP in 2015, an All-Star from 2014-2016, and he posted a .944 OPS last year.
Donaldson is owed the remainder of his $23 million for the season. He will be a free agent after the year and will not have draft pick compensation tied to him thanks to the trade.
