Aug. 27: Donaldson will set out on a rehab assignment tomorrow, tweets Nightengale. The Jays could pass him through waivers within 48 hours and have time to trade him before Friday’s deadline for postseason eligibility.
Nonetheless, it seems like a long shot that a club would be convinced of Donaldson’s health to the point it’d surrender enough prospect value to outweigh the value Toronto could receive from issuing a qualifying offer at season’s end. But, if the Blue Jays themselves consider Donaldson too great a risk to receive a QO, then they every reason to shop him aggressively in the limited window with which they’ll be presented.
Aug. 26: Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson will start a rehab assignment at the Single-A level within the next 48 hours, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. This is a key development because it could help pave the way for the Blue Jays to deal Donaldson this month, as he’ll be eligible to go on revocable trade waivers when he begins his rehab stint.
Donaldson has been on the disabled list since May 29 because of a strained left calf, which has killed the Blue Jays’ chances of trading the pending free agent. However, if Donaldson shows he’s healthy during his rehab stint, the Jays may be able to make a buzzer-beating deal involving the 32-year-old before the month concludes.
Even if Donaldson looks physically fine over the next few days, there’s no guarantee Toronto will find a return to its liking, given that Donaldson’s stock has declined this season. After starring from 2013-17, including his AL MVP-winning season in 2015, Donaldson has spent most of this year on the DL and hasn’t performed nearly as well as expected when he has taken the field. All told, Donaldson has slashed an underwhelming .234/.333/.423 in 159 plate appearances.
Beyond the injury and performance issues that have defined his season, Donaldson doesn’t come with a team-friendly salary. He’s owed the balance of $23MM (around $5MM), which figures to drive down his trade value if Toronto doesn’t eat a significant portion of the money. In the event those factors combine to preclude the Jays from trading Donaldson in August, they’ll still have a chance to receive compensation for him in the offseason. They’d need to issue Donaldson a qualifying offer (worth $17.4MM last offseason), which he’d have to reject before signing elsewhere.
Whether Donaldson finishes the season in Toronto or another city, the fact that he’s seemingly on the brink of a return is an encouraging development as he nears free agency. While this has been a nightmarish year for the three-time All-Star, it appears he’ll have a chance to rebuild some of his stock over the next few weeks.
on the move?
As a Red Sox fan, assuming we’re already over the 3rd luxury tax threshold, I would love to see them get him for nothing but salary relief.
It’s a pipe dream I know…
he’s a gamer. he could alot in at third and be a difference maker down the stretch IF healthy. forget about the money at this point. the Sox need to keep their foot on the gas
You’re not getting him. You would have to give up more than the draft picks a team gets when the QO is turned down. And not even DD is dumb enough to pay that price.
but would he turn down a QO?… I dont know if he gets one…
Doubtful he turns it down, if he gets one.
He needs another solid year to rebuild his value before hitting the open market…..besides…..He’d be better off avoiding the Harper/Machado/Kershaw/McCutchen/Dozier etc Off-season, and re-entering after 2019.
Some team will take a flyer but Blue Jays will probaly have to accept very little to almost nothing in return.
They’d be better off giving him a QO and taking the pick or the extra year of control…for less than he’s making now.
If they want to bring Vlad up, they should put Donaldson on waivers and let him go if he gets claimed. If he accepts the offer, the Jays will be stuck with him for another year, with no place Vlad.
He’ll get QO’d before they give him up for little
Are the Bluejays going to be happy when he accepts the QO? I guess you can trade him next year if he’s not an 18M DL slot.
I think anybody would be happy taking that gamble and potentially getting one of the best players in the league.
if he accept a QO, it would be to play the 2019 season, not the 2015 season. So, he likely wouldn’t be “one of the best players in the game”
Why? they can offer him a qualifying offer.
He might take it
Perfect then you get Josh Donaldson for a year and can get a better return next trade deadline
With his injury history you really can’t count on that. I’d sell now and clear the deck.
Its not like they are losing much by rolling the dice. They already came up short on the roll that really mattered.
What if he is once again hurt at the deadline? If he takes a QO he can’t be traded before June 15 in any event, so they can’t deal him in the winter either. Makes it all the more incentive to move him before Friday.
While i dont think the trade deadline should be moved i do think there should be an amendment made that players on the 60 day DL prior to and past july 31st should be eligible to be traded to any team until end of august.
Because nobody could ever manipulate that either
Well you can always make it a requirement a player must spent at least 30 days on the DL to qualify for the amendment.
No system is fool proof. People will exploit it no matter how you try.
The point of the amendment though is to help teams clearly out of contention trade assets they couldnt trad3 before.
It should be cancelled but Trades all year round or more guys DFA in August to try and get rid of Veteran guys like Harper or Bumgarner if they can’t Trade them within 10 days can’t be Traded.
not allowed by the commish office. period.
it seems like I’ve been hearing this for weeks
no you havent.
mlbtr might as well beat a dead horse with troy tulowitski coming off the dl trade rumors.
He either has a great last 30 days of the season or he comes back to BJ on a QO. If some team gives him a big long term contract on a mediocre 30 days left in the season it will stink of desperation by that team.
Are the Blue Jays really dumb enough to give him a QO? Don’t they have enough dead money on the books with Tulo, Martin, and Morales? If they think he would turn it down they are delusional. Best bet is try to get anything they can now and let his money come off the books.
Why would it be dead money? I think it’s a little ignorant to think he’s done as a top tier player already.
Reasons to give Donaldson a QO:
– Jays aren’t going anywhere next year. If Donaldson accepts a QO it gives the Jays 1 more chance to deal him.
– If he declines, that’s a draft pick.
– He’s worth every penny if he plays a full season.
– He’s worth every penny to the fanbase if he accepts.
– He’s worth every penny to mentor Vlad, Jansen and any young player coming up next season.
That’s enough to warrant a QO. It’s also a $5-mil paycut for Donaldson. For what he’s done for the Jays organization a QO is a thank you.
Morales is not dead weight homers in 7 straight games. he has decent numbers this year despite a .160 BA in April. If your looking at second half numbers he’s been one of the better offensive players in the game.
Teams may be interested in him now and if they are not I’m sure the jays are happy to have him back.
The Jays can field a pretty solid team for a rebuilding club next year.
When Tulo and Martin come off the books they’ll be in great shape.
He’s not all that valuable but Morales’ offensive numbers are actually really good.
Ryan W – the biggest problem with Morales is half the league won’t touch him (the entire NL). Most contenders don’t need a DH/1B, or don’t want him beyond the next two months. That said, he’s been good since May.
Morales is dead money? You are talking about the same Morales that has a league record of 7 games with a home run by a switch hitter right? The same guy who has been the Jays most productive hitter since June 5?
That is far from dead money.. The rest are at least arguable.
If a player can’t be traded because of his salary he would be considered dead money. So in that regard he may be right calling Morales dead money.
Anyone saying he’s not worth the QO if he accepts is nuts, honestly. Yeah he’s had a pedestrian year with injury concerns, but this is a guy we were saying would make $100+ million in free agency prior to this season, surely his stock hasn’t dropped that much.
him going to Oakland to dh would be sweet
Martini/laureno platoon cf, Davis to lf
putting davis in LF would be a horrible idea
I think the Jays will be highly motivate to move him by Friday night. They want to move on and have moved on since he hasn’t played since May 29. If he returned, he would have to play everyday at 3B to build value. The team probably wants to have others at that spot in September. As for the QO, they may not want to offer it in fear of him taking it and being an $18M man next year. They have a 1B and a DH and Vlad coming to play 3B. They don’t need Donaldson.
One scenario I can see is trading him for a PTBNL, with that player contingent on how he performs. I am sure that the Jays management have already talked to teams to gauge interest in him.
One thing that was not mentioned in the article is when does the 48 hours expire? Is the rule he can’t be put on waivers until the time of the game (6:30pm EDST)? Is it 48 hours as of midnight Tuesday? That makes a big difference in regards to how much time do the Jays have to do the deal. Of course the deadline is midnight not 4 pm so 8 more hours to deal him too.
They could let him play in September. If he sucks, let him walk without a QO. If he shows signs of life, give him the QO – you either get a pick or you let him play 3B next year for 2-3 months and deal him for more than you can get now. Keeping Vlad, Jr. on the roster as a sub (or in the minors for a little longer) isn’t going to wreck the Jays future. And if Donaldson plays really great, make a playoff run with him.
Playoff run… lololololol get real
Jays are not a large enough market to take on a 4th problem contract for 2019.
You have Martin,Tulowitski,Morales already. You do make a good point about letting him play in September however his health is the only thing he has to prove. We KNOW he can hit.
lol Toronto is one of the largest markets in MLB with deep pockets who have been among the top 10 in payroll regularly.
That’s when the non Wavier Trade Deadline should be to Midnight.
They’ve had tons of time to gauge league interest in him. I highly doubt they will place him on waivers, wait for him to pass, and THEN start trade discussions. All the groundwork for teams who are seriously interested has been laid long ago.
If I’m a GM I’m willing to gamble on JD, his talent is to great if he’s healthy. I’d like to see the A’s go after him
To Atlanta
Hey Folks, I am told that Josh Donaldson is going no where and he will not be traded. The Jays will QO him, take the service time, trade him next year or do the draft pick thing.
Shaprio is in love with draft picks.
End of story.
Yeah, there’s no chance for a trade, the Jays are better off paying the rest of his salary, and getting draft picks.
There’s a chance Donaldson will take the QO. It’s not like he’s desperate for the highest money value deal he can get (which would be a low AAV multi year deal). He made $40M in the last two years alone. He’s set for life already, so he can afford to gamble on himself, in hopes of putting up a representative year in 2019, and then landing the big contract he was supposed to get.
But, of course, if the takes the QO and stays healthy, then the Blue Jays get a good prospect for him in the summer of 2019.
If he takes the QO this offseason, I thought the Jays could NOT offer it to him again the following year, so no draft pick compensation if he accepts. A player can’t be QO’d twice. Not sure of the exact rule, but that’s my understanding.
Right. But they could get a good prospect for him in the summer…in a trade.
Right. Would be another gamble. He could struggle again next year, and have similar value to what he has now. He has been hurt literally all season long this year going back to spring training. It’s why many of us said LAST year at the deadline was the time to trade him. My point was more meant for jimmer, regarding the “draft pick thing”.
Real issue here is the fact that many knew that trading him last year was the move.
So the fans are now trusting Shapiro/Atkins to do the right thing when then didn’t do the right thing previously?
Don’t think the fans are trusting them at all. At least not the smart ones who could see this team wouldn’t contend this year. They’ve made a mess of any rebuild by being stuck in between.
^Jimmer 100% correct. 14 months ago should have begun the process of rebuilding. That said, the best for this situation is to QO Donaldson. And decline Solarte’s option. That is a must.
Are Jays fans trusting Shapiro/Atkins? Well, yes. Why? Because the media controls the narrative of the situation. Rogers owns the team. Rogers owns the broadcast rights. Rogers is the #1 main player in everything Blue Jays, second to none. I can’t blame people for trusting the front office given the coverage. Even national coverage is positive about their farm system and future. I can’t blame the fans for believing.
The Jays really like Solarte. Do they like him enough to pay him? As much as Soalrte is not going to help them win a championship soon, I am thinking the Jays want Solarte as an asset.
They gave up Edward Olivares, an okay prospect to get him and Solarte has filled in the holes where he has been asked to play. Is he worth 5.5m next year and 8m the year after? Maybe 5.5 but not 8.
I think they will click the 5.5 option, then try to trade him. I hear that they want a prospect which is achievable. If he wasn’t hurt he would be already gone .
What is really bad, here, is that he’s getting his first shot at free agency at 33. Didn’t sign any extensions, they signed him out of college and then kept him under team control for 11 years, without any say in the matter on the player’s part.
It’s really, really unfair, and it is why the next CBA negotiations are going to be a nightmare for the owners. The union MUST demand an end to the current system, replaced by a simple age limit on team control. And it should be fairly low. 27, at most, for players who signed out of high school (or earlier, in the case of Latin American signings), and 29 for players who signed out of college.
In other words, automatic free agency at 28 for high school draftees, and at 30, for college guys.
That’s almost 10 years of control for high school draftees, and almost 9 for college guys. It’s plenty. The 12 years a team can potentially keep a player for, right now, is crazy.
You realize he played in oakland, right? He just came up to bigs at age 26(24 for very few abs), which is a couple years later than most minor leaguers come up, hence the later free agency. With that being said, i can see the cardinals making an offer if they aren’t scared off by injuries, they inquired earlier in the year(and offseason too i think), and are making playoff push.
1, Jays are NOT going to issue Jason a QO and all the teams know this. They owe 20 million to Tulowitski, and 20 million to Russell Martin for 2019.
2. Jays have Solarte,Diaz, and Guerrero Jr. Ready for 2019 at 3B.
3. Jays would love just a bit of salary relief and a low end prospect. Red Sox and Indians are a good fit though my first choice is the Yankees where he could DH.
Jason can really hit, and a rare combination of power and average for a corner guy.
Who the hell is Jason?
Guy from the Friday the 13th movies? Or Jason Bourne? lol.
I don’t understand the Cards infatuation with an injury prone player over 30. He has had some great seasons but that’s in the past. I’d rather stick with Gyrko
Another season is just as likely to hurt Donaldson’s value as it is to increase it. A year older and with another extended DL stretch, no team would offer anything significant next season.
The question becomes what his value is to Jays specifically compared to what the return is worth. He offers more value to the fan base, locker room, and field than he does in a trade if the prospect isn’t solid. This isn’t a case where something is better than nothing. He still provides value.
As far as the future goes, Vladdy will be a stud! But it won’t be at 3B. Donaldson isn’t blocking Vladdy. When someone has that kind of talent, no one can block them.