Donaldson traded to the Indians
Injury saga ends with Bringer of Rain dealt to Cleveland, writes Rob Longley.
MIAMI As the once bountiful relationship between Josh Donaldson and the Toronto Blue Jays moved closer and closer to divorce on Friday, the apparent reasons for the rift help to explain the impasse.
Donaldson, the former American League MVP, was reportedly dealt to the Cleveland Indians on Friday evening, as his relationship with the Jays reached its inevitable bitter conclusion.
With a number of potential suitors in the mix, Jays general manager Ross Atkins figured to be weighing the best offers for a player that it seems clear no longer fits the team’s future plans. It wasn’t immediately known who was coming back to Toronto in the deal.
Adding to the fun is the fact that the Indians are visiting the Rogers Centre next weekend.
Also Friday, Curtis Granderson, the 37-year-old in his first year with the Blue Jays, was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers in return for Canadian outfielder Demi Orimoloye.
As for the situation that ran Donaldson out of town, it wasn’t pretty. Both sides have their versions of what went wrong, but in an interview with Postmedia this week in Dunedin, Donaldson made it clear that the full story of his calf injury was not revealed.
While some may have questioned the fact that Donaldson was out of the lineup for three months with what the team refers to as calf tightness, the Bringer of Rain told Postmedia that the injury was far worse than had been widely reported.
Donaldson said that while rehabbing the strain he “completely ruptured his calf ” with further injury to another “area outside the calf.”
Those multiple injuries complicated and slowed his recovery to the point that he was unable to run the bases and field with confidence until recently. Donaldson maintained that he needed to be 100 per cent before returning to big-league game action.
The longer the recovery took, the more it compromised Jays management’s ability to move him, first at the July 31 deadline and later on Friday’s final opportunity. The 32-year-old Florida native finally returned to game action this week in two games with the Class-A Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League.
As he first revealed at the end of last season, Donaldson said he was going to go in a different direction with his training, essentially rejecting the Jays’ high-performance department.
In our interview at Dunedin Stadium following his second rehab game this week, Donaldson reiterated that stance. Essentially, he veered away from the team’s rehab program to do things on his own.
“I’ve made some changes,” Donaldson said. “I feel able to bounce back quicker than in the past.”
It must be noted that Jays management would take exception to Donaldson’s assertions about his health and recovery. Privately there have been whispers that they weren’t pleased with Donaldson’s routine and with US$23 million on the hook this season, they clearly didn’t get much in return.
On the record this week, Atkins declined to comment on Donaldson’s health.
But the veteran third baseman said that the very nature of his calf injury or injuries prevented a rush job. It also didn’t help that he was less than 100 per cent with his “dead arm” issues at the start of the season.
“It’s something where I have to listen to my body and what it’s trying to tell me to do,” Donaldson said. “This (season) is the worstcase scenario, the worst thing that could have happened. There’s been a lot, just mentally. It plays a toll on you when physically you can’t play. I’m having to continue to evolve as an athlete and understand what I can do and what I need to do.”
Despite the apparent rift, in our conversation Donaldson gave no indication that he wanted to leave the team he helped get to the 2015 and 2016 ALCS.
The deeper into the day Friday went, the more that appeared unlikely, however. By the time the Jays game against the Florida Marlins began, as many as five teams were rumoured to be in on the action including the AL East rival New York Yankees. But it was the Indians who won out in the end.
Because he’s been out so long, Donaldson is treating the rehab process much like he would spring training, by gradually building to game strength and intensity.
“I feel like I’m definitely getting closer, but to sit here and say I would be ready to go right now, that would be not smart for me,” Donaldson said.
“I still need to knock a little bit of rust off, because in the major leagues, when you get back up you can get exposed pretty quick. It’s just been one of those things where it’s been very difficult to get back to where I am right now.
“I just enjoy playing baseball. I love playing the game of baseball, and when I can’t do that, it’s not good. I finally feel like I’m getting to that place where I can get out there and move, hopefully continue to compete at a high level.”
For far too long, however, it was apparent that wasn’t going to happen with the Jays.