Blue Jays look smart for not extending Josh Donaldson

Josh Donaldson seems to be trying to pave his way out of Toronto, but the Blue Jays look smart for not giving him a big contract.

After an MVP season in 2015, and a worthy follow-up in 2016 (37 home runs, 99 RBI), Josh Donaldson was in line to cash in with a big contract. But the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t pony up, instead going year-to-year again in 2018 with a one-year, $23 million deal.

Donaldson was limited to 113 games last year by a right calf injury, but his numbers were still pretty good (.270, 33 home runs, 78 RBI, .944 OPS). But things have been far worse this year, as he has not played for the Blue Jays since May 28 due to a left calf issue.

Donaldson finally started a rehab stint this week, just in time to clear trade waivers, and he hit a home run on Thursday after being out of the lineup due to leg soreness on Wednesday.

There’s some chance he’ll be on the move before the close of Friday’s business, but Donaldson seems ready to move on soon anyway when asked about a possible rocky relationship with Blue Jays management.

"There’s a lot I can say about that, but I choose not to say anything about it right now,” . “I don’t feel now is the time or the place. It’s one of those things that, as an athlete, I can only control what I can control. To do that I have to stay positive and focused on what I have to do.”“I can’t control what the team wants to do with me."

If he’s not gone via a trade in the next several hours, Donaldson will most definitely not circle back to the Blue Jays when he hits the free agent market this winter, What he’ll find there, after an injury-wrecked season at 33 years old (in December), is a different question.

Despite any lingering sour grapes from Donaldson’s end, the Blue Jays were savvy to not pony up big long-term money a couple years ago.