6 former Blue Jays fan favourites still without a job heading toward spring training

Josh Donaldson

For the “Bringer of Rain” Josh Donaldson, he certainly made his mark with the Jays during his prime years when he came over to the ballclub via a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Athletics. Not only did he take home AL MVP honours in a Jays’ uniform, the beloved icon was instrumental in leading the team on two unforgettable postseason runs during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Overall, the three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger batted .281 with a .931 OPS, along with 331 runs scored, 116 home runs and 316 RBI in 462 career games with the Jays. Things may not have ended as smoothly when it came time for Donaldson’s departure from the ballclub. Nevertheless, the fans will never forget all the heart and effort that he gave out during his time in Toronto.

Since moving on from the Jays, Donaldson may not be producing at the MVP level he once did, but he has still managed put up some solid seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins. However last season, Donaldson had his worst ever year in his career when he combined to hit .152 with a .667 OPS, 18 runs scored, 13 home runs and 26 RBI in 50 games played with the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers. Things got so bad to the point that the Yankees released Donaldson prior to the end of August, with the Brewers picking him up on a minor league deal to finish off the season. Sad to say, but at age 38, along with his rapid regression of both his bat and defence in the past couple of years, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of Donaldson and his illustrious 13-year MLB career as interest in the veteran third baseman this offseason has been almost non-existent. But one thing is for certain, the Bringer of Rain himself wouldn’t mind coming back for another go with his former team for one more shot at glory.