Yankees release former AL MVP

The Yankees announced that third baseman Josh Donaldson has been released. Andy Martino of SNY relays that Donaldson will be on release waivers until 1 p.m. Wednesday, at which point he will surely go unclaimed and become a free agent. The club’s 40-man roster is now at 39.

Donaldson, 37, has had a storied career that included literal MVP upside, but his time in the Bronx has been obviously disappointing. In March of 2022, the Yanks acquired Donaldson as well as catcher Ben Rortvedt and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins, sending catcher Gary Sánchez and infielder Gio Urshela the other way. Donaldson still had two years and $50M left on the four-year deal he signed with the Twins, with the Yanks taking on all that remained at that time.

The third baseman was still plenty effective in his two years as a Twin, hitting .243/.355/.474 for a wRC+ of 126 along with solid defensive grades. But his production tailed off after the trade. His first year as a Yankee saw him hit just .222/.308/.374, which translated to a wRC+ of 98, his first subpar offensive showing since 2012. His defense was still solid but his strikeout rate jumped to 27.1%, more than two points above his previous career high, apart from his cup-of-coffee debut in 2011.

Here in 2023, things have gone from bad to worse. Donaldson has spent most of the season on the injured list, first due to a right hamstring strain and then a right calf strain, only getting into 34 games so far this year. When on the field, he’s only tallied 15 hits in his 106 at-bats, leading to a .142 batting average. Bizarrely, 10 of those 15 hits were home runs, leading to a lopsided slash line of .142/.225/.434 and a wRC+ of 75.

Donaldson is currently on the 60-day injured list and had been nearing a rehab assignment of late, but it seems the club didn’t plan on adding him back to their active roster. The Yanks are 63-68 and 11 games out of a playoff spot, seemingly planning to use what’s left of their schedule to get a look at younger players, recently promoting Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza, with Austin Wells possibly coming soon as well.

With those players set to get plenty of playing time in the coming weeks, there would be less room for Donaldson, especially since his contract is winding down. There’s a $16M mutual option for 2024 but the Yanks were clearly planning to take the $6M buyout instead. By nudging Donaldson off the roster now, they open a spot for someone else and keep the playing time open for younger players.

Releasing Donaldson now might also have been a courtesy to him. If he signs with a new club prior to September 1, he’ll be playoff eligible with that team. Based on his health and performance issues this year, he’ll clear waivers by Wednesday afternoon and then have a day and a half to latch on somewhere else. Once released, the Yanks will be on the hook for the remainder of his salary. Any of the 29 other clubs would be free to sign him for the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Yankees pay.

The interest would obviously be limited based on the recent struggles, but he’s not too far removed from being an effective big leaguer. The MVP upside is almost a decade in the past now but, as mentioned, he performed well for the Twins as recently as 2021. If any club thinks he has more left in the tank, they could give him a shot for essentially no financial cost.

But for the Yankees, the Donaldson trade is obviously one they would like to have back. Kiner-Falefa has been a solid utility player but has been subpar at the plate and is about to become a free agent himself, while Rortvedt has been injured for much of the time since the deal. Sánchez was an impending free agent last year and Urshela had two years of control at the time, meaning they didn’t give up much, but taking on Donaldson’s contract tied up a lot of money that could have been spent elsewhere.

Donaldson will now see if there are other opportunities awaiting him, here in 2023 and beyond. He has previously expressed uncertainty about playing beyond this year, which will be a decision for the months to come, but he will first see if there’s a job for him in the short-term.