Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer March 4, 2024, 3:11 p.m. ET
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- Senior Writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com
- Analyst/Reporter ESPN Television
- Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”
Josh Donaldson, who was named American League MVP during his 13-year career, announced his retirement Monday.
Donaldson, 38, made the announcement on former player Sean Casey's podcast.
Donaldson finishes his career with 279 home runs, 1,310 hits and a long-earned reputation as someone who competes with an edge and isn't afraid to offend his opponents. His best season came in 2015 with Toronto, when he hit 41 home runs and batted in a league-high 123 runs while batting in an MLB-high 122 runs. Donaldson received 23 of 30 votes for MVP, finishing ahead of Mike Trout for the award.
Donaldson finished in the top 10 of his league's MVP voting four times.
Donaldson broke into the professional league as a catcher after the Cubs took him with the 48th pick in the 2007 draft from Auburn. The following summer, Donaldson was among the players the Athletics received in a deal for starting pitcher Rich Harden, and for a few seasons Donaldson remained in the farm system.
In 2010, at age 24, he hit .238 in Triple-A. He reached the major leagues for the first time toward the end of the season. But Donaldson moved to third base as his primary position in 2012, playing 71 games in the major leagues, and with his combination of plate discipline and power, Donaldson began to stand out.
In 158 games for the A's in 2013, he had an OPS of .883. Many teams were under the impression at the time that the A's wouldn't consider trading him, but after the 2014 season, Oakland traded Donaldson – who was getting more expensive every year – to the Blue Jays for four players. including pitcher Kendall Graveman. It was one of the first trades that cemented then-Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos' reputation as a shrewd dealmaker, as Donaldson won the MVP the next year.
Donaldson played with five teams over the past six seasons as clubs sought to increase the plate discipline of their lineups while hoping to benefit from Donaldson's intense approach. However, his outspokenness sometimes landed him in the headlines.
As a member of the Twins, he noticed Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole's declining spin rate, suggesting that Cole was benefiting from the use of sticky substances when throwing the ball, and when Donaldson was traded to the Yankees, manager Aaron Boone met with both of them players to smooth things over.
While with the Yankees, Donaldson was suspended one game by the MLB for “inappropriate comments” after he called White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson “Jackie” in reference to baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. Anderson was outraged by the comment, calling it “disrespectful,” and Donaldson later apologized.
Donaldson batted .142 in 33 games for the Yankees last season. After the Yankees let him go in late August, he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and batted .169 with three home runs in 17 games.
Over the course of his career, Donaldson played in nine different postseasons and hit five home runs in 50 games.