The Yankees introduced that third baseman Josh Donaldson has been launched. Andy Martino of SNY relays that Donaldson might be on launch waivers till 1pm tomorrow, at which level he will certainly go unclaimed and change into a free agent. The membership’s 40-man roster is now at 39.
Donaldson, 37, has had a storied profession that included literal MVP upside, however his time within the Bronx has been clearly disappointing. In March of 2022, the Yanks acquired Donaldson in addition to catcher Ben Rortvedt and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins, sending catcher Gary Sánchez and infielder Gio Urshela the opposite approach. Donaldson nonetheless had two years and $50MM left on the four-year deal he signed with the Twins, with the Yanks taking over all that remained at the moment.
The third baseman was nonetheless lots efficient in his two years as a Twin, hitting .243/.355/.474 for a wRC+ of 126 together with strong defensive grades. However his manufacturing tailed off after the commerce. His first 12 months as a Yankee noticed him hit simply .222/.308/.374, which translated to a wRC+ of 98, his first subpar offensive exhibiting since 2012. His protection was nonetheless strong however his strikeout charge jumped to 27.1%, greater than two factors above his earlier profession excessive, aside from his cup-of-coffee debut in 2011.
Right here in 2023, issues have gone from dangerous to worse. Donaldson has spent many of the season on the injured record, first as a result of a proper hamstring pressure after which a proper calf pressure, solely entering into 34 video games to this point this 12 months. When on the sector, he’s solely tallied 15 hits in his 106 at-bats, resulting in a .142 batting common. Bizarrely, 10 of these 15 hits have been residence runs, resulting in a lopsided slash line of .142/.225/.434 and a wRC+ of 75.
Donaldson is presently on the 60-day injured record and had been nearing a rehab task of late, but it surely appears the membership didn’t plan on including him again to their lively roster. The Yanks are 63-68 and 11 video games out of a playoff spot, seemingly planning to make use of what’s left of their schedule to get a take a look at youthful gamers, just lately selling Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza, with Austin Wells possibly coming quickly as effectively.
With these gamers set to get loads of enjoying time within the coming weeks, there can be much less room for Donaldson, particularly since his contract is winding down. There’s a $16MM mutual choice for 2024 however the Yanks have been clearly planning to take the $6MM buyout as a substitute. By nudging Donaldson off the roster now, they open a spot for another person and hold the enjoying time open for youthful gamers.
Releasing Donaldson now may also have been a courtesy to him. If he indicators with a brand new membership previous to September 1, he’ll be playoff eligible with that group. Primarily based on his well being and efficiency points this 12 months, he’ll clear waivers by tomorrow afternoon after which have a day and a half to latch on elsewhere. As soon as launched, the Yanks might be on the hook for the rest of his wage. Any of the 29 different golf equipment can be free to signal him for the prorated league minimal, with that quantity subtracted from what the Yankees pay.
The curiosity would clearly be restricted primarily based on the current struggles, however he’s not too far faraway from being an efficient large leaguer. The MVP upside is nearly a decade up to now now however, as talked about, he carried out effectively for the Twins as just lately as 2021. If any membership thinks he has extra left within the tank, they may give him a shot for primarily no monetary value.
However for the Yankees, the Donaldson commerce is clearly one they wish to have again. Kiner-Falefa has been a strong utility participant however has been subpar on the plate and is about to change into a free agent himself, whereas Rortvedt has been injured for a lot of the time because the deal. Sánchez was an impending free agent final 12 months and Urshela had two years of management on the time, that means they didn’t hand over a lot, however taking over Donaldson’s contract tied up some huge cash that would have been spent elsewhere.
Donaldson will now see if there are different alternatives awaiting him, right here in 2023 and past. He has beforehand expressed uncertainty about enjoying past this 12 months, which might be a call for the months to come back, however he’ll first see if there’s a job for him within the short-term.
