Josh Donaldson was a standout player in his own right who began his career with the Oakland Athletics before becoming a star with the Toronto Blue Jays; the New York Yankees were a minor league team. With 41 home runs and a 154 wRC+ in 2015, he won the American League MVP award, marking the pinnacle of his career.
In an announcement of his retirement on Sean Casey’s podcast, “The Mayor’s Office,” he looked back on his whole career, including his time in New York, and said that he was returning to a life where he could spend more time with his family.
Although it was expected that Donaldson, who finished the season with a 78 wRC+ in 50 games between the Yankees and Brewers, would eventually retire from baseball, no official announcement was made until today.
The New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins reached a surprising trade agreement just before the 2022 season, sending Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Bronx to help bolster their left infield. The three-time All-Star was looking to reinvigorate the centre of a Yankees lineup that had grown monotonous in 2021 after smashing 26 home runs with a.352 OBP in a season with the Twins. The team’s offensive performance undoubtedly improved, but Donaldson saw a significant decline that infuriated both fans and the media.
Even though he didn’t get the results he was hoping for with the Yankees, his disastrous time in New York doesn’t take away from his fantastic career. Josh Donaldson was one of the greatest third basemen of the twenty-first century, amassing 46.8 bWAR and smashing 279 home missiles in 1,383 games during his 13 years in the Major Leagues. He’s a hero in Toronto and Oakland, where he was a middle-of-the-order danger for some clubs who were headed for the playoffs. During a five-year stretch, he had the 148 wRC+ and the second-highest fWAR in baseball (33.6).
