Should the Minnesota Twins trade Josh Donaldson?
The Minnesota Twins signed Josh Donaldson to a four-year/$92 million contract during the 2020 offseason. Now in his second season with the team, could a potential trade be on the horizon for the veteran third baseman?
The Twins pulled off their first trade ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline, moving Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays. In case you missed it, you can check out our latest breakdown of the trade here.
Minnesota and Donaldson agreed to a massive contract with the belief they’d be contending for a World Series. Last season that was true, but the Twins fell short in the playoffs against the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round.
This season, no one suspected Minnesota would have had this disappointing of a start. Donaldson is 35 years old, with an injury history and would likely like to be playing for a contending team.
This season, he’s played well and hasn’t been the reason for the team’s struggles – though he could perform better with runners in scoring position (RISP). With RISP, he’s struck out 25.5 percent of the time and has zero home runs. He hasn’t been awful in those situations, but when you’re getting paid $21 million, you’re expecting a little more out of him.
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 82 | 328 | 272 | 45 | 68 | 15 | 16 | 44 | 48 | 64 | .250 | .357 | .482 | .838 | 134 |
Donaldson has been one of the best hitters at his position this season. Here’s where he ranks:
- Average: 9th
- Home runs: 11th
- RBI: 14th
- OBP: 5th
- Slugging: 8th
- OPS: 7th
He’s sitting in the top-15 in all categories and ranks 33rd in the majors with an OPS+ of 134. Offensively he’s been great, but he’s also been good defensively.
This season he’s been an above-average defender. Donaldson ranks 11th in the league for his position with a fielding percentage of .956. He’s only committed nine errors in 208 chances (Matt Chapman leads with four). The eye test shows Donaldson’s been good at the hot corner, but one knock on him has been his -0.1 defensive WAR.
He’s been good offensively and defensively, but what’s the holdup? The money.
Teams will be hesitant to trade for a player that’s 35 and has an injury history. It would be different if he wasn’t owed so much money over the next two seasons, but he’s going to be on the books until at least 2023.
Andy Martino of the SNY has reported the New York Mets have expressed interest. The trade deadline is July 30, and the trade front for Donaldson has been quiet.
The Brewers are another team that has checked in on Donaldson as well.
If Minnesota believes they can compete in 2022, you probably keep Donaldson – though getting him off of the books would be nice. The Twins could use that extra space and sign a third baseman or call up Jose Miranda – who’s been performing well in the minors.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the organization’s faith in Miranda or their belief in contending next season.
