Blue Jays Keep Adding on Offense, Trade for Josh Donaldson
After leading the AL East for much of last season, only to fold in the second half, the Toronto Blue Jays continue to beef up their roster in hopes of finally getting back to the postseason.
The Blue Jays landed All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson on Friday, sending third baseman Brett Lawrie, pitchers Kendrall Graveman and Sean Nolan, and minor league shortstop Franklin Barreto to the Oakland A’s.
Over the past two seasons, Donaldson was one of the key offensive components on two playoff teams in Oakland, hitting .277 with 53 home runs and 191 RBIs over that span. He had two hits and scored a run in the A’s loss to the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 AL Wild Card Game.
The Blue Jays made headlines early in free agency when they inked three-time All-Star catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million contract that was heavily backloaded to allow the Jays to have more money to spend in the near future. Their move for Donaldson adds the slugger to a lineup that already boasts Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion.
Just two seasons ago, the Blue Jays went all out to acquire Reyes, R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and Melky Cabrera, building a roster that, on paper, looked like the best team in the AL East.
But the Blue Jays managed just 74 wins in 2013 as the talent never developed any consistency. They got off to a great start in 2014, spending 61 days in first place while at one point sitting 14 games over .500, but finished the year just 83-79. The Blue Jays haven’t made the postseason since 1993, when they won the second of back-to-back World Series titles.
With the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays vulnerable, the Blue Jays hope that these moves can help them challenge the defending AL East champion Orioles for the division crown in 2015.
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