Athletics trade Josh Donaldson to Blue Jays for Brett Lawrie, 3 prospects
The Toronto Blue Jays bolstered their lineup in a hurry Friday, trading for Oakland Athletics All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson in a blockbuster five-player deal.
Both clubs confirmed the move shortly after the report broke, with Oakland announcing Donaldson is heading to Toronto in exchange for third baseman Brett Lawrie, shortstop Franklin Barreto and pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin.
Donaldson, 28, is coming off two straight MVP-type seasons, leading all major league third basemen with 14.1 WAR since 2013. He finished fourth in AL MVP voting in 2013 and eighth last season after hitting a career-high 29 homers and 98 RBIs.
(Related: Blue Jays answer rivals with acquisition of All-Star Josh Donaldson)
The slick-fielding defender is a major acquisition for the Blue Jays, who have been aggressive in their pursuit of reinforcements at third and second base. Only Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout has been worth more wins in the American League than Donaldson over the last two years.
"At the end of the day, it's a business, as much as it hurts emotionally," Donaldson told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. "The guys in that clubhouse are my brothers."
MLB Trade Rumors projects Donaldson will earn $4.5 million in his first of four years of arbitration, a major coup for a club with just two impact position players under contract after the 2016 season.
Lawrie, meanwhile, has failed to fulfill the high expectations that followed the Canadian third baseman after he was drafted 16th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.
The 24-year-old appeared in just 345 games over four seasons with Toronto, slashing .265/.323/.426 with a career OPS of .748. Lawrie, who hit a personal-best 12 homers in an injury-shortened 2014 season, is entering the first year of arbitration.
Although Donaldson stands to earn more in arbitration over the next few years, he's also under team control through the 2018 season. The move left some scratching their heads, including players within Oakland's clubhouse.
"This trade doesn't make sense to me," Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick told Slusser. "We just traded our best player the last two years."
Athletics general manager Billy Beane has been known to reshuffle his roster on the fly, with a propensity for dealing his stars in return for maximum value. In exchange for Donaldson, Beane acquires a player with legitimate upside in Lawrie and a pair of Toronto's top 15 prospects, according to MLB.com's rankings.
Barreto, 18, is considered to be a raw talent with the potential to develop into a solid contact hitter. Ben Badler of Baseball America projects him to settle in as a second baseman or outfielder at the major-league level. MLB.com ranked him the eighth-best prospect in the organization.
Graveman, 24 on Dec. 21, rocketed through the Jays' system in 2014, going from A ball to the majors, developing a cutter along the way, and posting a 1.83 ERA in 167 1/3 combined innings, striking out 115.
Nolin will turn 25 in late December and the left-hander was Toronto's 10th-ranked prospect at the start of last season, according to Baseball Reference. He was thought to be a candidate to contribute in some fashion to the Blue Jays in 2015, and should fit well in Oakland's spacious ballpark.
Nolin was drafted in the 6th round by the Blue Jays in 2010, and had a 3.43 ERA in the minors this past season, the majority spent with Triple-A Buffalo. He had a 3.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 87 1/3 innings as a Bison, striking out 74.
Finally, to make room for their new players, the Athletics designated right-handed pitcher Josh Lindblom and outfielder/first baseman Kyle Blanks for assignment, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee.