May 29, 2018
Olney: Don't expect big return if Jays trade Donaldson
The ESPN Baseball Columnist said because of Josh Donaldson's age, injuries, and struggles at the plate this season, the Blue Jays might only land a B or B- prospect in any potential trade for the third baseman.
TSN.ca Staff
![Josh Donaldson, The Canadian Press Josh Donaldson](/polopoly_fs/1.675877.1487531868!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/josh-donaldson.jpg)
The Toronto Blue Jays have a big decision to make ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline as to whether or not to move star third baseman Josh Donaldson. And if general manager Ross Atkins decides to move the 32-year-old pending free agent, it likely won’t be for the haul that Blue Jays fans would hope for.
“The Royals are potentially going to sell Mike Moustakas, the Yankees could have Brandon Drury out there. And so if other teams don’t like the Blue Jays' asking price on Donaldson, they’ll just move on,” ESPN Baseball Columnist Buster Olney explained on TSN Radio 1050's Landsberg in the Morning on Tuesday.
“Between his struggles, his age, the injuries, and the fact that it’s going to be a buyer’s market at that position, if they got a marginal prospect, like a B- or B prospect for Donaldson, right now based on his performance, they would be doing well. There just aren’t going to be a lot of teams going out there looking for a third baseman.”
Donaldson has struggled through injuries and at the plate this season. The 2015 American League MVP is batting .234 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 36 games for Toronto this season. He spent time on the disabled list this season with a shoulder injury that affected his throws to first base and left Monday’s game in Boston with left calf tightness.
Olney added that the Jays aren’t without desirable trade targets, singling out starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez as someone that could net the team an impressive haul. “You see flashes of the brilliance from the year when (Sanchez) led the American League in ERA, but not the pure dominance,” Olney explained. “Right now there is so little starting pitching out in the market place that the Blue Jays would have a tremendous opportunity to get a great return on Sanchez.”
Sanchez has stayed healthy all season this year after losing almost all of last year to blister problems on his throwing hand, but has struggled to a 2-5 record with a 4.77 ERA in 11 starts. He’s two years removed from leading the American League in ERA (3.00), a season where he was also named an AL All-Star and finished seventh in Cy Young voting.
“I think that he showed enough a couple years ago where teams would say, ‘you know what, we understand that he hasn’t been as consistent this year but we believe in the upside,’ and they would get tremendous return,” said Olney.
Sanchez is still under team control for two seasons after this year. Trading the 25-year-old would likely signal a full rebuild for the team that has tried to remain competitive while they bridge the gap between their 2015 and 2016 playoff teams and their team of the future.
Olney chimed in on the status of prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - who continues to tear up Double-A - agreeing with the team’s approach to be patient with the 19-year-old and keeping him in the minors for the time being. Guerrero is batting .433 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 46 games with the Jays’ Double-A affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
“Other teams that I’ve spoken with think the Blue Jays would be crazy to call him up this year and that is not because he’s not worthy of a call up, it’s because of when you start the clock, when you set him on the road to potential free agency in future years,” he said.
“When it’s a prospect as great as Guerrero is, folks with other teams are saying, ‘as young as he is, just leave him in the minor leagues, start next year and then call him up at the end of April next year.”