After less than two seasons, the New York Yankees have released third baseman and former 2015 American League MVP winner Josh Donaldson.
Donaldson has provided the juice to the lineup that the Yankees expected him to when they originally traded him. To acquire him, the Yankees sent catcher Gary Sanchez and infielder Gio Urshela to the Minnesota Twins.
Donaldson was nearing a return from an extended injury-related absence that had him on the Yankees’ 60-day IL with the expectation he’d be ready to return in the middle of September. Now, he has until Friday to sign with a team if said team wants to have him be a part of their postseason roster.
In his age-37 season, Donaldson has appeared in just 33 games, hitting 10 home runs with 15 runs batted in while posting a .142 batting average. It is a far cry from the 41 homers, 123 runs batted in, and .297 batting average he recorded in 2015 with the Toronto Blue Jays, when he earned American League MVP honors.
The former AL MVP is in the final year of the four-year, $92 million contract he signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2020. Any team signing Donaldson would need to pay him no more than the MLB minimum while the Yankees would be responsible for the rest of the money he is owed.
According to The Athletic, Donaldson is unsure whether or not he will play in 2024 or decide to retire. This could be Donaldson’s last hoorah in what has been a remarkable MLB career.
