Blue Jays: Extra motivation to extend Donaldson’s contract

The Blue Jays have plenty of reasons to try to extend Josh Donaldson’s contract beyond 2018, and now the Yankees provided another one.

The biggest moves of the offseason so far finally took place last week when Shohei Ohtani agreed to sign with the Angels, and Giancarlo Stanton was traded to the New York Yankees. The latter deal was disappointing for Blue Jays’ fans in particular, especially because they’ll get to see Stanton’s MLB leading home run bat 19 times per season as a division rival.

However, when I read the news I immediately started trying to think of some silver lining angles, stuff like Stanton’s propensity for injury, or the length and value of his contract. In fact, I had a momentary joy-filled moment when I realized that getting Stanton likely means the Yankees will be out on Bryce Harper as a free agent next offseason. Their outfield now features Stanton and Aaron Judge in the corners, and some combination of Brett Gardiner, Aaron Hicks, and maybe an occasional Jacoby Ellusbury siting. They Yankees will likely utilize the DH with their outfielders to get all their parts in as it is, so that means Harper is almost guaranteed to go elsewhere.

Hooray! It’s felt like an inevitability for a long time that Harper would eventually end up in pinstripes, and routinely punishing the Blue Jays. Sure, they may get some of that from Stanton, but between the two I think I’d rather things worked out the way they have.

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But then the next realization hit me. The Yankees could be serious bidders for Josh Donaldson next year, and that’s a bitterly horrifying thought.

As mentioned above, the Yankees’ outfield would already be set, and they’ve got young stalwarts in Greg Bird at first base, Gary Sanchez as the catcher, and Didi Gregorious as the shortstop. We don’t know who will be manning second base just yet, but there are solid options in the Yankees’ minor league system there as well, so it should be covered by next year, if not sooner.

Which leaves third base as the area the Yankees could still spend on offence, and there are two marquee free agents who could be available in the winter of 2018-19. Donaldson joins Manny Machado as the best two bats available at the hot corner, and would be the 1B to Machado’s 1A there. It’s possible the Yankees join the serious bidding for Machado, but it’s expected he’ll be widely pursued in much the same vein that Harper will be.

Extending Donaldson’s contract just to keep him away from the Yankees might be a bit of an overreaction, but when you add it to the list of other reasons it makes sense, it could be a tipping point for the Blue Jays’ front office. He should have several productive years left in the tank, and the idea of watching him join an already deadly murderer’s row in New York, might be too much to take.

All of this is a year away in theory so I might be prematurely dreading this scenario, but to me it’s all the more reason for the Blue Jays to see if they can’t keep the “Bringer of Rain” in the fold beyond 2018.

Next: Josh Harrison rumours make a lot of sense