Former AL MVP Donaldson announces retirement
Josh Donaldson says he’s retiring after a 13-year career in which he was voted the 2015 AL MVP and was selected to three All-Star Games.
The 38-year-old announced his plans Monday during an appearance on “The Mayor’s Office,” a podcast hosted by former major league first baseman Sean Casey. Donaldson is a free agent after splitting last season between the New York Yankees and Milwaukee.
“It’s sad because I’ll be not able to go out there and play the game that I love anymore, but it’s also a very happy time that I get to be around the family and kind of take that next chapter in life,” said Donaldson, who noted that he got married during the offseason.
Donaldson was among the top third basemen from 2013-17 with Oakland and Toronto.
He finished fourth in the AL MVP balloting with Oakland in 2013 and won the award with Toronto two years later. During that 2015 season, Donaldson hit .297 with 41 homers and an AL-leading 123 RBIs. Donaldson also led the AL in total bases (352) and topped the majors in runs (122) that season while helping the Blue Jays reach the AL Championship Series, where they lost to Kansas City.
Donaldson earned three straight All-Star appearances from 2014-16 and was fourth in the AL MVP balloting in 2016.
Donaldson finishes with a .261 batting average, .358 on-base percentage, 279 homers and 816 RBIs in 1,383 regular-season games with Oakland (2010, 201214), Toronto (2015-18), Cleveland (2018), Atlanta (2019), Minnesota (202021), New York (2022-23) and Milwaukee (2023).
CARDINALS: Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray left his spring training start for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Washington Nationals with tightness in his right hamstring Monday after getting two outs in the second inning.
The three-time All-Star was cruising in his second spring training appearance before his hamstring tightened up. Gray allowed one hit and struck out one while throwing 20 pitches.
Gray, a 34-year-old righthander, signed a $75 million, three-year contract with St. Louis to anchor an overhauled rotation. He went 8-8 with a 2.73 ERA in 32 starts for the Minnesota Twins last season, earning his third trip to the All-Star Game.
DODGERS-TIGERS TRADE: The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired infielder Andre Lipcius from the Detroit Tigers for cash on Monday.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred pitcher Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day injured list. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has said he expects to return in July or August after recovering from shoulder surgery he had in November.
Lipcius hit .286 with a double and a home run in 13 games for the Tigers last season. The 25-year-old played in five spring training games, going 1 for 8 with a double and an RBI, before being designated for assignment last week.
He was drafted by the Tigers in the third round in 2019 out of Tennessee and has spent four seasons with Detroit, hitting a combined .266 with 88 doubles, 38 homers and 212 RBIs.