Indians land Josh Donaldson in trade with Blue Jays
The former All-Star and MVP is headed to Cleveland
The Blue Jays have sent former AL MVP Josh Donaldson to the Indians, the team has announced. Toronto will receive a player to be named later in the trade.
Thank you for bringing the rain, JD. pic.twitter.com/A2rnLo6teL
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 1, 2018
Because Donaldson is currently on the disabled list, it is possible the quality of the player to be named later is tied to his health. The more games he plays for Cleveland, the better the return for Toronto, that sort of thing. Such trades are unusual in MLB but not entirely unprecedented.
Also, the Blue Jays are sending some money to the Indians in the trade to offset Donaldson's hefty salary.
Source: #BlueJays sending #Indians $2.7M as part of Donaldson trade. Donaldson’s remaining salary is just under $4M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 1, 2018
It is worth noting that, because the trade was completed prior to 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31, Donaldson will be eligible for Cleveland's postseason roster. Cleveland has a huge 14-game lead in the AL Central, so their ticket to October is as close to punched as it gets.
Donaldson, 32, is hitting .234/.333/.423 with five homers and 16 RBI in just 36 games this season. He was limited with a shoulder injury to begin the season and has been on the disabled list with a serious calf injury since late May. He will be a free agent after the season, so he's likely looking for a big month to help earn back some of those dollars he has almost certainly lost with this down season.
The Indians have a few options with Donaldson. They could play him at third base, moving Jose Ramirez to second base and kicking Jason Kipnis out to the outfield. They can also use him at designated hitter while putting Edwin Encarnacion at first base. Donaldson could also be an option at first base.
Regardless, Indians skipper Terry Francona will have about a month to play with his lineups before hitting the postseason. His team came into Friday with a 14-game lead, so they obviously are going to the playoffs, and getting everything set for October is the biggest goal in September.
















