Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays entered 2018 with interesting playoff odds and even got off to a good start. They finished April with a 16-12 record, which had them only five games out of first place in the American League East.
Things have somewhat fallen apart since then, as they’re currently 37-41 and well behind in both the divisional and wild-card races. This means certain players — *cough* J.A. Happ and Josh Donaldson *cough* — are available as we approach the non-waiver trade deadline.
It always seemed unlikely that Toronto would actually re-sign Donaldson. His past track record shows he’d like to get paid handsomely, 2019 will be his age-33 campaign, and the Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. waiting in the wings.
Injuries have slowed down Donaldson each of the last two years — he’s currently on the disabled list — but his performance thus far in 2018 hasn’t been what we’ve come to expect from him. Through 159 plate appearances, the veteran third baseman is slashing just .234/.333/.423 with a 105 wRC+ to go along with 5 homers and 16 RBI.
A huge problem for Donaldson compared to recent years is an inability to capitalize on breaking pitches. Here’s how his walk rate, strikeout rate, ISO, and wRC+ against sliders and curveballs have changed between 2017 and 2018.
For someone reaching free agency a little older than others, the upcoming few months will be absolutely crucial with regard to Donaldson’s next contract.
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