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Toronto Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson Acquisition Revisited

By Evan Gignac

May 15, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) throws late to first base as New York Mets center fielder Juan Lagares (not pictured) reaches with an RBI infield single during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) throws late to first base as New York Mets center fielder Juan Lagares (not pictured) reaches with an RBI infield single during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 22, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Kendall Graveman (31) throws the ball against Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (not pictured) in the seventh inning during game six of the 2021 ALCS at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Kendall Graveman (31) throws the ball against Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (not pictured) in the seventh inning during game six of the 2021 ALCS at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

Kendall Graveman

Kendall Graveman has no doubt been the biggest success story of any player the Athletics received back in 2014. He is coming off of an elite season working as a closer and high leverage reliever for the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. Hilariously, the Athletics never saw this version of Graveman.

His time spent with Oakland saw him as a starting pitcher who relied on producing ground balls. Over this period he produced a 4.58 FIP. He missed all of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery due to a torn UCL. Graveman made his return to MLB as a Seattle Mariner in 2020, and transitioned to a full-time reliever in 2021. What followed was an insane rise in both velocity and effectiveness. His fastball velocity rose by nearly 3 mph according to Fangraphs. His Baseball Savant page shows that he was elite at limiting opponent’s ability to make hard contact. This past season saw him post a 1.77 ERA over 53 appearances in a season split between the Mariners and Astros.

The newly elite reliever appears ready to begin the 2022 season with the Chicago White Sox. MLB Trade Rumours reports that he recently signed a 3-year contract valued around $24 million. Of all the players traded for Donaldson, Graveman has had the most success. The majority of this success coming this past season split between the Mariners and Astros in 2021.

The concludes the package shipped to Oakland, now lets check in on our old friend Josh Donaldson.

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