Josh Donaldson Open to Finishing MLB Career with Toronto Blue Jays
Josh Donaldson, a prominent Major League Baseball (MLB) player, is considering the possibility of concluding his playing days with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team where he experienced his greatest individual success.
Currently a free agent, Donaldson’s potential return to the Blue Jays comes at a time when the team is in need of a third baseman following Matt Chapman’s rejection of a qualifying offer. Donaldson expressed his willingness to rejoin Toronto if general manager Ross Atkins reaches out to him this winter.
“Yeah, definitely looking forward to seeing if they reach out,” Donaldson stated in an interview with theScore’s Josh Wegman. “That would definitely be something that I would be interested in doing. That’s just where I’ve always felt like it was home for me.
“My fiancée is from Toronto. Our kids are half-Canadian. Her family is all up there, which would be great for them to be able to be around all year long. For me, that would be the tip of the iceberg, which would be great, and we’ll see what happens.”
During his three full seasons with the Blue Jays, Donaldson emerged as one of the most dominant hitters in baseball. He secured the American League MVP title in 2015 with an impressive .297/.371/.568 slash line and continued his exceptional performance in the following season with a .284/.404/.549 line. However, injuries plagued his 2018 campaign, leading to a trade to the Cleveland team.
In recent seasons, Donaldson’s production has significantly declined, culminating in a disappointing year where he hit .152 with a .667 OPS in 50 games split between the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers.
Considering Donaldson will be 38 when the 2024 MLB season commences, his fit within the competitive Blue Jays team may pose challenges. While he could provide Toronto with a power bat off the bench, it is unlikely that he would assume an expanded role.
Regardless of whether Donaldson returns to the Blue Jays or not, he cherishes his time in Toronto but regrets not being able to secure a championship with the talented teams he played alongside.
“Now that time has passed since the ’15 and ’16 teams, I think some of the best compliments that I receive from former opponents were ‘dude, we had nowhere to go in that lineup. It was hell either trying to call a game against you guys or pitch against you guys. There was just no avenue where we could wiggle around,'” Donaldson shared with Wegman. “I just remember feeling that way being on the Blue Jays; they had nowhere to go. When you know that, and they know that, obviously our team was special.
“Not saying that we took anything for granted because we didn’t, we went and laid it on the line. But man, if we could’ve caught this break or made this happen, it definitely sticks in your craw a little bit. We definitely felt we had the team to win it; we just weren’t able to accomplish that.”
If Donaldson secures a spot on a team for the 2024 season, he envisions it as his final opportunity to capture an elusive World Series title.
“I think after this upcoming season, that would be my last season no matter what. I would like to play one more year and go out on a good note, and then that’d be it,” Donaldson concluded.