3 Reasons New York Yankees must trade Josh Donaldson ahead of 2022 MLB trade deadline
New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson is a prime candidate for a trade ahead of the MLB trade deadline on August 2. The man known as the bringer of rain was acquired from the Minnesota Twins during the off-season, but the team was likely hoping for more. With statistics below his career averages, the team could definitely be looking to upgrade.
Josh Donaldson is a former MVP and a three-time All-Star, so the New York Yankees might be willing to wait out this slump. We'll break down three key factors to see what makes the 12-year veteran a trade candidate.
The New York Yankees are all-in on winning the World Series in 2022. With this goal, they will do everything in their power to keep the team playing at a championship level.
#3 Team chemistry
Going back to his days with the Oakland Athletics, dysfunction has a way of following Josh Donaldson. While it is impossible to pin any one thing on him, the trend certainly exists. To win a championship in the MLB you need every player on the team pulling the same direction. If the team is not united, they will fail in the postseason.
Donaldson is now 36 years old and likely has a better understanding of that than when he entered the league at 24, but the issue remains. Pete Caldera of "USA Today" wrote on the issues in the clubhouse and posted it to Twitter.
Praised for bringing intensity to the Bronx, Josh Donaldson now testing Yankees' team chemistry (subscriber column) northjersey.com/story/sports/m… via @northjersey
"Praised for bringing intensity to the Bronx, Josh Donaldson now testing Yankees' team chemistry" - Pete Caldera
If these issues persist, they are exactly what could prevent the vaunted New York Yankees from winning it all in 2022.
#2 Offensive decline
The offensive struggles that have plagued the New York Yankees third baseman have been well-documented, especially recently. Josh Donaldson's career numbers are down in nearly every offensive category. He has not performed to the level the team hoped he would when they acquired him.
He is well aware of his struggles and said in an interview that he believes he will turn things around. This interview was posted to twitter by the YES Network.
Josh Donaldson: "I gotta think that whenever it does start to click it'll be pretty good."
Donaldson reflects on his recent struggles at the plate. https://t.co/SfCtBdFEHI
""I gotta think that whenever it does start to click it'll be pretty good." - Josh Donaldson
The Yankees are running out of time for him to snap out of this slump and need to look for upgrades around the MLB.
#1 Suspensions and controversy
To win a division as competitive as the American League East, with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays lurking, the team needs to be focused. If this focus is disrupted for too long by Josh Donaldson getting into altercations, the team will suffer. Josh Donaldson very publicly got into it with Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson and was suspended for it.
A video of the incident was uploaded to Twitter by West Coast Sports.
If one of your key players makes himself unavailable at a key time in the postseason, it could spell disaster. Donaldson has a history of issues like this cropping up, so trading him for a calmer player would make sense. Consistency is key.
Even teammate Aaron Judge called out Donaldson for inciting this incident. These comments were posted to Twitter by CBS Sports.
Yankees' Aaron Judge criticizes Josh Donaldson's 'Jackie' comment: 'I don't think it's the right thing to do' cbssports.com/mlb/news/yanke…
"I don't think it's the right thing to do" - Aaron Judge
The New York Yankees are poised to win it all in 2022. To get there, they will do whatever it takes. It may take is trading away Josh Donaldson to improve their chances.