Reviewing the Josh Donaldson Trade

[Cody Christie]

The Yankees make their yearly appearance in Minneapolis this week, with the Twins looking to stay at the top of the AL Central. Let’s look back at the Josh Donaldson trade with the Bronx Bombers on their way to Target Field.

Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Leading into the 2020 season, the Twins weren’t known for making a big splash on the free-agent market. However, the narrative changed with one big signing. Minnesota inked Josh Donaldson to a four-year, $92 million deal, including an $8 million buyout of a $16 million club option for a fifth year. At the time, the contract was the largest free agent deal in club history and the second-largest in MLB history for a player 33 or older. 

Minnesota was coming off a 2019 Central Division, where the club set the MLB record for home runs in a season. Donaldson was coming off a season where he was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year with a 126 OPS+ in 155 games. The Twins expected him to help the team continue to contend while also serving as a mentor to some of the team’s younger players. However, his time in Minnesota was filled with more downs than ups. 

The Twins won the division in 2020, but Donaldson was limited to 28 games in the pandemic-shortened season. He had a 132 OPS+ in limited action, but injuries greatly impacted him, and he wasn’t available for Minnesota’s playoff series with the Astros. In 2021, the Twins were a mess and finished at the bottom of the AL Central. Donaldson finished fourth on the team in the WAR with a 127 OPS+, but he played 34 games at DH to help keep himself healthy. 

Minnesota’s front office went into the offseason looking to make moves to keep the team’s winning window open. On March 12th, the Twins traded Mitch Garver to the Texas Rangers for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ronny Henriquez. One day later, Minnesota packaged Kiner-Falefa with Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. The trade got the Twins out from under the Donaldson contract, and it helped free up the payroll space that Minnesota eventually used for Carlos Correa’s first Twins contract. 

Twins Acquisitions
Entering the 2022 season, the Twins expected Sanchez to split catching duties with Ryan Jeffers, but one injury changed the plan. Jeffers broke his finger, and Sanchez ended up playing 128 games for the Twins. He hit .205/.282/.377 (.659) with 24 doubles, 16 home runs, and an 89 OPS+. His barrel % and hard hit percentage ranked in the 92nd percentile, so there were some positive offensive signs. Defensively, he improved his framing by moving from the 17th percentile in 2021 to the 50th percentile last season. Sanchez remained unsigned for most of the offseason before signing a minor league deal with the Giants. 

Urshela finished fourth in WAR on the 2022 Twins after hitting .285/.338/.429 (.767) with 27 doubles, three triples, and 13 home runs. His defensive numbers were poor through the season’s first half, but he made one of the most significant in-season improvements for the Twins. Minnesota wanted to open third base for Jose Miranda, so the Twins traded Urshela to the Angels for right-handed pitching prospect Alejandro Hidalgo. Urshela has a 93 OPS+ in his first 18 games for the Angels, while Hidalgo has allowed one earned run with an 11.1 K/9 in 5 2/3 innings this season. 

Yankees Acquisitions
Donaldson’s first Yankees season was filled with ups and downs. In 132 games, he hit .222/.308/.374 (.682) with 28 doubles and 15 home runs. He posted an OPS+ below 120 for only the second time since 2012. He ranked second among AL third basemen in SABR’s Defensive Index but wasn’t a finalist for the Gold Glove. Donaldson started the 2023 season by going 2-for-16 (.125) with one home run before a hamstring strain pushed him to the IL. Reports this weekend said he would likely miss several more weeks because of the injury. 

The Yankees planned to use Kiner-Falefa to bridge the gap to some of their young shortstop prospects. Last season, he hit .261/.314/.327 (.642) while playing regularly at shortstop. In 2023, New York handed shortstop to Anthony Volpe, with Kiner-Falefa moving to a utility role. He’s played third base and center field while starting the season going 5-for-31 (.161) at the plate. Kiner-Falefa is entering his final year of team control, so the defensive flexibility might help him land a job for 2024. 

Rortvedt was the third piece the Twins traded to the Yankees and has been limited by multiple injuries over the last two seasons. He had an oblique injury at the time of the deal, and then he underwent left knee surgery last May. Eventually, he appeared in 42 Triple-A games and hit .218/.311/.394 (.705) with nine doubles and six home runs. During spring training in 2023, he had surgery on an aneurysm of the posterior artery near his left shoulder, causing circulation issues. He’s started a rehab assignment at Low-A, and the Yankees are waiting for him to debut with the big-league club. 

Winners? Losers? Somewhere In-Between?
There are a lot of layers to the Donaldson trade. Minnesota was ecstatic to get out from the remainder of his contract for multiple reasons. Donaldson’s age and injury history will continue to impact him, and teams that sign free agents typically get the best performance in the contract’s early years. The Twins had to acquire some players that weren’t needed in New York, but their performances were hardly the reason for the team’s struggles last year. Trading Donaldson also allowed Minnesota to get creative in the club’s first contract offer to Correa. If Donaldson was on the team, that signing likely doesn’t happen, and then the Twins aren’t in the running to re-sign him this winter. Because of these factors, the Twins scored a rare win against the Yankees. 

Do you think the Twins won the trade? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[FlyingFinn]

The Yankees tried to trade Donaldson in the off season but couldn't find anyone to take his contract. It's all about getting out from under that contract and, in that respect, the Twins win the trade as I like where they have spent money on Correa and Lopez. Also, with Donaldson always injured, you never know when he can play or not.

[Doctor Gast]

If you look at the trade face value, IMO we lost the trade. We seriously weakened our catching & SS positions by trading away IKF, Garver & Rortvedt. After they traded away IKF they sought after Story. Luckily that didn't happen and Correa fell into our laps but that's a side issue that granted most likely would not have happened w/o trading away Donaldson. If Correa hadn't fell into our laps indepently, we would have been in a very very sorry situation.

[CRF]

To get rid of Donaldson was a win, no matter what we gave up, got back, or what ever happened afterward.

[chinmusic]

In a sense, the Twins lost the trade by making the trade in the first place.

Donaldson was already past his prime, and breaking down when the Twins acquired him.

His personality could be tolerated when he was elite (see Blue Jays), but after that, not so much.

Luckily, they were able to unload him.

 

[Old Twins Cap]

Who knows who won the trade.

All I know is that, in that one day the Twins had Kiner-Felefa, I was reading through the thread here at Twins Daily and an intrepid poster said something to the effect:

That's such a weak trade, you would never see a team like the Yankees settle for a weak-hitting shortstop like Kiner-Felefa, no matter how much defense he can provide.

All those games later, the Yanks still have IKF.  And the Twins have Correa.  Hilarious.

[kenneth frank]

I've read New York sports columnists who refer to the Donaldson trade as one of the worst in Yankee history.

[Dave Borton]

Quote

...The Twins expected him to help the team continue to contend while also serving as a mentor to some of the team’s younger players. 

Mentor? I think not.

Twins won this trade by a hamstring.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

The Twins won this trade on the field, off the field, in the papers, and in the clubhouse.

[Squirrel]

46 minutes ago, Old Twins Cap said:

All those games later, the Yanks still have IKF

And they are using him in the outfield OVER Aaron Hicks

[AJW AZ Twins Fan]

This trade was nothing but a win.  To get rid of Donaldson even if it was just for 1 year of Urshela is a win. Plus add the fact it is the only way we would end up with Correa. The difference that makes in the club house alone is a win. 

[Major League Ready]

If we look at it in terms of 2022, Urshela and Sanchez performed well.  Miranda's production was better than Donaldson.  IKF and Donaldson were both mediocre players so hardly a big loss.  I might call it a push or slight win for the twins.  If we look at in terms of 2023-24 and beyond, unloading the 21.75M this year and the $8M buyout next year as opposed to having Donaldson on the roster, it's a big win for 2023-24.  If Henriquez is a decent long reliever or better, it's even better.

[John Belinski]

Signing Donaldson to a big contract was another mistake the Twins made. Whoever is making these choices should be fired. I think it is the same person that hired a trainee manager that has shown he should not be a manager. 

[arby58]

I'd consider it addition by subtraction. For whatever reason, Donaldson didn't really jell with teammates or fans. As others have pointed out, the injury uncertainty was also a concern.

[David Maro]

The Donaldson signing was the biggest mistake by the FO. The trade had to happen for them to save face. He never fit the team,on the field or in the clubhouse. A lot of players have egos,but keep them in check. We won the trade by him no longer being on the team.

[FanSince1961]

Donaldson was and is a cancer.  A broken down, rabble rousing cancer.  The trade was a win just because he and his enormous contract were gone and the Twins gained great payroll flexibility.

My only other request is to proofread more carefully:

"Minnesota was coming off a 2019 Central Division, where the club set the MLB record for home runs in a season."  The word "win" or "championship" is missing after "Division."  Errors of this sort happen too often and making reading (as well as comprehension) more difficult than should be the case.

[Trov]

I would say it was a win for the Twins.  For most part it was just a way to dump Donaldson bad contract, which allowed us to go out and sign CC.  Really the trade should be judged with Mitch Garver in mind, as we traded him for IKF, kind of like a 3 team trade being it happened so quickly and IKF never played a game for Twins.  Garver missed a lot of time last year, but had average season up to that point.  This year got off to quick start for a few games, but back on IL after only 6 games.  

[saviking]

Had we never signed Donaldson in the first place we would have had the money to sign Correa anyway. And if we hadn't signed Donaldson we would still have Garver an Rortvet instead of a 19 old reliever. 

So the only problem was signing Donaldson in the first place

[Johnny Ringo]

The Donaldson saga captures a lot of my frustration with the FO. For every smart thing they do (Nellie for Joe Ryan), they do something that can't be fathomed. Like what? Stay tuned. 

Signing Donaldson in 2020 was very dumb. He was past his prime, oft-injured, a pain in the, uh, neck and very expensive. Shunned by FA pitching that year, they decided to double down on offense.  The Twins woke up metaphorically in Vegas, hung over, with a regrettable tattoo on their lower back.

In fairness, to them, they soon tried to scrap it off.

Obviously, doing this took a a lot of machinations but they essentially netted Urshela in exchange for Donaldson. Sanchez was just a warm body needed at catcher after dealing Garver. But Gio represented promise. Urshela had an admirable 2022, putting up the 4th highest WAR by a Twins position player last year.

Then the FO did the inexplicable. They traded Urshela in the off-season for the fabled bucket of balls despite my trepidation at the time, expressed here,  whether Jose Miranda was a viable everyday MLB third baseman. As we sit here today, Miranda has done nothing  to quash that concern.

So to recap, lets use another Vegas metaphor. They bet big and lost. They scratched back to even but then they wouldn't leave the table. Lint now fills their pockets. They can't even say they got the free buffet.  

 

[killebrewlover]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

If you look at the trade face value, IMO we lost the trade. We seriously weakened our catching & SS positions by trading away IKF, Garver & Rortvedt. After they traded away IKF they sought after Story. Luckily that didn't happen and Correa fell into our laps but that's a side issue that granted most likely would not have happened w/o trading away Donaldson. If Correa hadn't fell into our laps indepently, we would have been in a very very sorry situation.

I think time will tell.  But in retrospect, getting rid of Donaldson was a necessity overall.  He was a costly player to have on the roster, especially considering his age and injuries.  I'm glad we have Correa!

[Fire Dan Gladden]

At the time, the Donaldson signing was optimistic.  The Twins making a play on an high level player at a position of need.  Injuries really robbed the Twins of getting true value out of him as a player, though he was very effective when he did play.

Donaldson's clubhouse woes are well documented.  The addition by subtraction with Donaldson was very real.  Trading Donaldson allowed the Twins some financial flexibility which tipped the dominoes to a handful of moves.  I wouldn't really call this a win in the traditional sense, but I do think the signing and then moving of Donaldson opened the door for us to make power play moves like Grey and Correa. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, chinmusic said:

In a sense, the Twins lost the trade by making the trade in the first place.

Donaldson was already past his prime, and breaking down when the Twins acquired him.

His personality could be tolerated when he was elite (see Blue Jays), but after that, not so much.

Luckily, they were able to unload him.

 

You are 100% correct. 

[Whitey333]

Actually the jury is still out on Correa.  He's making much more than Donaldson was and not performing much better overall.  He obviously has more upside but for what was spent he isn't performing like someone making 33 mil per year.  A huge disappointment so far this year.  But he sure is given all the excuses in the world.  

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I still find it hard to believe that one of the reasons the Twins' FO traded for Donaldson, was so he could mentor the younger Twins players. That reason was a terrible mistake. However, I feel the FO has learned from this mistake and has intentionally been acquiring players with positive, team before self, attitudes. I realize I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, in the dugout and in the clubhouse and on team flights...but I do like what, as a fan, I see and hear from Correa, Gray, Farmer, Vasquez, and Pablo "Doc" Lopez. These 5 "acquired from other teams" leaders are making positive impacts on this Twins team. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

At the time the Twins acquired "the bringer of rain", I also posted several times about Donaldson's frequent leg problems, which I contended were due to his being a catcher in the minor leagues and a catcher when he was beginning his career in the majors. The article mentions that Donaldson is currently out again with ... leg problems. 

[terrydactyls]

3 hours ago, chinmusic said:

In a sense, the Twins lost the trade by making the trade in the first place.

Donaldson was already past his prime, and breaking down when the Twins acquired him.

His personality could be tolerated when he was elite (see Blue Jays), but after that, not so much.

Luckily, they were able to unload him.

 

Not sure what you're trying to say.  As near as I can tell, you're saying that the Twins never should have signed Donaldson in the first place?  If so, that's a whole other topic.

Because Donaldson was already on the team, the trade appears to be a win for the Twins.  IKF did okay but Rotvordt has been a nothing burger for the Yankees.  On the Twin's side, Sanchez was Sanchez.  Gio, however, produced better than expected.  So I would call it - advantage Twins.  And that's without mentioning Correa.

[terrydactyls]

42 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I still find it hard to believe that one of the reasons the Twins' FO traded for Donaldson, was so he could mentor the younger Twins players. That reason was a terrible mistake. However, I feel the FO has learned from this mistake and has intentionally been acquiring players with positive, team before self, attitudes. I realize I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, in the dugout and in the clubhouse and on team flights...but I do like what, as a fan, I see and hear from Correa, Gray, Farmer, Vasquez, and Pablo "Doc" Lopez. These 5 "acquired from other teams" leaders are making positive impacts on this Twins team. 

The Twins never traded for Donaldson.  They just went to the FA store and bought him.

[nicksaviking]

4 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

If you look at the trade face value, IMO we lost the trade. We seriously weakened our catching & SS positions by trading away IKF, Garver & Rortvedt. After they traded away IKF they sought after Story. Luckily that didn't happen and Correa fell into our laps but that's a side issue that granted most likely would not have happened w/o trading away Donaldson. If Correa hadn't fell into our laps indepently, we would have been in a very very sorry situation.

Garver is the ONLY loss in that situation, and he's been injured basically the entire time. IFK and Rortvedt have no businesses being anything other than emergency, last-man-on-the-bench players and Donaldson is done. The Twins did a great job recognizing Donaldson was finished and getting the equity back so they could use it elsewhere.

[MNBearCat]

The value the players provided is almost beside the point, the Twins won because they got out of Donaldson's contract and, to the surprise of many (including me) they actually used that money on another, better player instead of just banking it.

[KirbyDome89]

1 hour ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

The addition by subtraction with Donaldson was very real. 

Anything to actually substantiate this, or are we just reviving a tiresome talking point from last season?