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Blue Jays: Potential trade partners for Josh Donaldson

By Victor Riancho

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 17: Josh Donaldson
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 17: Josh Donaldson /
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CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 3: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after scoring off a single by Yangervis Solarte #26 during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 3, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day in this makeup game from April 15. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 3: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after scoring off a single by Yangervis Solarte #26 during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 3, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day in this makeup game from April 15. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Entering free agency at the end of the season, Josh Donaldson is an obvious August trade candidate, but has only been able to play 36 games in 2018. Nonetheless there will certainly be some teams interested in the three-time All-Star, and 2015 American League MVP third baseman.

Editor’s note: The writer submitted this article a few days ago, and to his credit, it should have been published before now. That said, a hat tip to Jon Heyman for his similar article.

Josh Donaldson was supposed to be traded in the July trade deadline, and although the Blue Jays had talks with other teams on a possible deal involving the third baseman according to Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins, the discussions did not come to fruition and the 32-year-old remains a Blue Jay. The fact he’s still a Blue Jay is simply because he hasn’t played a baseball game since May 29th due to left calf tightness and suffered a setback during his rehab, which ended the possibilities of him being traded prior the non-waiver trade deadline.

Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports and MLB Network reported on August 7th that the former MVP was set to begin sprinting that week and could soon eventually join the team. Adding on to that, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson Smith reported that Donaldson has been working out and running, which indicates he’s inching closer to a return.

All health issues put aside, Josh Donaldson has proven he’s one of the best players in Major League Baseball and someone who can be a difference maker at any time, including October, which is really what teams look for in August trades. His career playoff numbers are quite impressive. He has a career postseason slash line of .292/.361/.475 with an OPS of .836 along with four home runs and 13 RBI’s in 120 at bats.

The best situation for the Blue Jays is to have Donaldson comeback, clear waivers, prove he’s healthy and put up a show for about a week or two, and ultimately draw interest from contending teams. Nothing guaranteed, but surely possible.

Here are the teams who could be interested in acquiring the 2015 American League MVP.

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