After a 13-year MLB career, Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP and three-time All-Star, has announced his retirement.
Written by Brendan Kuty, Chris Kirschner, Melissa Lockard, Mark Puleo, and Kaitlyn McGrath
After 13 years of professional baseball, which included stints with the Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers, Josh Donaldson, a three-time All-Star and the 2015 American League MVP, announced his retirement on Monday.
Donaldson revealed the news on “The Mayor’s Office,” a podcast hosted by Sean Casey. In 2023, Casey and Donaldson were both employed by the Yankees, where Casey served as hitting instructor.
Donaldson’s MLB career was on the verge of failure. Donaldson was a top catcher prospect for Oakland when he was acquired by the A’s in 2008 as the major prospect in the trade that sent Rich Harden to the Chicago Cubs. However, by 2012,
He would almost run out of opportunities to stay in the major leagues. Despite his considerable skill, his 2010 MLB debut was unimpressive, and it looked he was destined to be a 4A player.
He started playing third base again in college in 2011, which put him in a position to be given another chance with the A’s in the spring of 2012 when starting pitcher Scott Sizemore tore his ACL during a fielding workout. However, Donaldson had a rough start to the season and, on June 13, he was demoted to Triple A with a.153 average. With veteran Brandon Inge taking over at third, the A’s started an incredible run up the AL West standings in the middle of the season.
Then, in mid-August, Donaldson was given another chance after Inge suffered a shoulder injury in an odd play. This time, he took it head-on and emerged as a major player in the A’s run for a division title, which they won on the last day of play (the only day the team finished the season in first position).
From there, Donaldson would go on to become one of baseball’s best third basemen in the 2010s, both on and off the field. He helped lead the A’s to three consecutive postseason visits from 2012 to 2014, hitting a career-best.301 in 2013 and earning his first All-Star selection in 2014. Donaldson was unexpectedly moved to the Blue Jays that summer, where he would take
his skills to a new level.
The Blue Jays would end up winning the trade handily. Donaldson was successful right away in Toronto, as he finished 2015 with his best career season at batting.297/.371/.568 and an American League-high 123 RBIs. As the first Blue Jay to win the AL MVP since George Bell in 1987, he took first place in the voting.
