Josh Donaldson's contract year has been an unmitigated disaster. He started the season with a shoulder injury, causing him to not be able to make the throw from third to first. He hit .234/.333/.423 for 36 games and has been on the shelf with a calf injury since late May.
This is a former MVP and three-time All-Star set to hit free agency heading into his age-33 season. Just awful timing. The injuries have probably already cost Donaldson tens of millions of dollars.
Perhaps Donaldson can have a big month of September for a contender and salvage some value? On that front, Donaldson has reportedly cleared revocable waivers, making him eligible to be traded to any team:
Sources: josh Donaldson has cleared waivers and is eligible to be traded to any of 29 teams
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 31, 2018
The Cardinals make sense here, as infielders Kolten Wong and Jedd Gyorko are on the disabled list and Jon Morosi of MLB.com mentioned them as a possibility. The Indians, with a chance to move Jose Ramirez to second base, would also be a match here, but Morosi reported the odds are "slim."
My speculation on other teams that would make some sense, in descending order: the Braves, Diamondbacks (freeing Eduardo Escobar to play SS), Rockies (at first base) and Red Sox.
The Cardinals really make the most sense here in a landslide, but that doesn't mean a deal will come to fruition.
As a reminder, if Donaldson isn't deal in August, he won't be eligible to be on the playoff roster of the acquiring team. He could still be traded in September to help a team make the playoffs, however.