Donaldson wants to be a Blue Jay ‘for a long time’
Former MVP signals his desire to re-sign before season finale, Rob Longley writes.
So Josh Donaldson says he wants to be a Toronto Blue Jay for the long haul and become a very rich man by doing so. Fair enough.
And now, Blue Jays fans, we’re going to see how much Rogers Communications values the home attendance that topped 3.2 million again this year and television ratings that continued to boom right to the end of a miserable season.
Before Sunday’s season-ending 2-1 win over the New York Yankees, a game in which he wasn’t in the lineup, Donaldson pointedly (and perhaps calculatedly) expressed his desire to remain a Blue Jay. In the process, he might have accelerated the key storyline of the Jays’ off-season just when it was about to begin.
“I feel like I’ve proven what I need to prove on the field,” Donaldson said outside the visitors clubhouse at Yankee Stadium when asked if he hoped to be back. “I don’t hope or wish for anything.
“I’ve made it known to our front office that I enjoy being a Blue Jay. If it’s a possibility, I would definitely enjoy being a Blue Jay for a long time.”
The if, of course, could get big and complicated. What will it take to keep Donaldson in a Jays uniform? Best start in the US$30 million-a-year range and think of nothing fewer than five years. That’s what it’s likely going to take to keep a player who for the past month and more has flashed his MVP form from two years ago.
The fact that Donaldson made the initial volley — he approached general manager Ross Atkins on his own to chat about things — signals the unofficial beginning of the negotiation period, and it should be interpreted as a good sign.
Do the Jays work to sign him soon to avoid distraction in 2018? Do they explore what would likely be generous trade offers? Much depends on whether they see Donaldson as the cornerstone of the team for the foreseeable future.
“I’m not going to sit here and try to force their hand and they’re not going to sit here and force mine,” Donaldson said. “If it’s able to work out, I’d be tickled pink, but at the end of the day, I don’t make those decisions and I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is to help my team win on a day-to-day basis and produce the way I know I can.”
Donaldson is eligible to become a free agent after the 2018 season, a process the Jays should avoid if they intend to keep him.
“Any player as talented as (Donaldson) is always a priority with us,” Atkins told Postmedia, adding that discussions surrounding Donaldson are “ongoing.”
From a business perspective, the Donaldson case figures to send a loud signal from Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro. Slugger Edwin Encarnacion walked to join the Cleveland Indians after the 2016 season and Jose Bautista most likely played his final game as a Jay on Sunday.
Bautista had a hit and an RBI to back Brett Anderson’s three-hit pitching in five innings of work. Roberto Osuna had his 39th save. Matt Holiday homered for the Yankees, who are in the postseason as one of the two AL wild card teams.
Donaldson’s negotiating chips are in high roller territory. He led the AL in home runs (24) and RBIs (53) following the all-star game.
“I believe in this organization and I enjoyed my time here,” Donaldson said. “But on the other side of it, I understand it. I feel like if you’re to ask all 29 other teams, they’d probably say, yeah they’d want to be pretty interested in me as well. That’s my take on it.”
The Bringer of Rain, who appeared in 113 games in 2017 and had 33 home runs, has maintained that he believes that with some subtle improvements, the Jays can be a contender. If he signs a long-term deal, Donaldson will be viewed as a leader through whatever transition takes place over the next couple of years.
“I don’t need to be the guy,” Donaldson said when asked about the optics of a deal. “I feel like I go out there and play. I try to be a leader on the field by how I play the game.
“If they decide that they want me to be the guy by signing me to a long-term deal, then I can take that role. I feel like I do that anyhow.”