Josh Donaldson Trade Rumor: Twins, Mets In “Very Preliminary Talks”

[Tom Froemming]

Josh Donaldson's loud June -- both on and off the field -- appears to have caught the attention of a National League contender. It was reported Friday that the New York Mets have expressed interest in the Bringer Of Rain.

Here is a link to Andy Martino’s report on SNY. His specific wording: “The team has engaged in very preliminary talks with the Minnesota Twins, who might trade Josh Donaldson. Those conversations have not yet progressed, but Donaldson is a possibility for the Mets.”

I include that because sometimes these things can get overblown in headlines/Tweets/any other shortened communication. There most definitely does not sound like there’s anything concrete and chances seem very good these talks don’t progress too far.

The Mets have been devastated by injuries this season, resulting in Jonthan Villar spending the most time of anyone at third base. He’s currently on the IL, leaving Luis Guillorme to man the hot corner for the most part. J.D. Davis, their Opening Day third baseman, is on the 60-day IL with a finger injury but is currently on a minor league rehab assignment.

Donaldson is coming off a white-hot June in which he hit .275/.354/.638 (.992 OPS). He’s also played in 63 of the team’s 79 games this year. The Twins have also seen their fair share of injuries, of course, but third base actually seems like a solid position to deal from. Luis Arraez has looked capable there, Miguel Sanó will still make sporadic appearances at his old position, Willians Astudillo is still around and José Miranda is having an outstanding season down on the farm.

So what may be the hold up? Money.

Donaldson is still owed nearly $11 million for this season and guaranteed $51.5 million more over the next three years. As Martino points out, the Mets are less than $10 million away from MLB’s luxury tax. With that being the case, it seems likely the Twins will be asked to cover some of Donaldson’s contract in the event of a trade.

Still, if you would have asked me earlier this season if trading Donaldson at the deadline was going to be a possibility for the Twins, I would have been pessimistic. He's still a very productive player, but given he's 35 and owed as much money as he is means there's a small window of teams that may be interested. The folks at Baseball Trade Values still haven't quite nailed their valuations, but it's the best resource we have available for now. They have Donaldson pegged as having negative trade value, -$19.7 million. Aaron Gleeman recently ranked Donaldson as the 11th-most valuable trade asst on the Twins over at The Athletic.

Donaldson's performance landed him a spot on MLB.com's June 2021 All-Star team, but his back-and-fourth with Lucas Giolito somewhat overshadowed that performance. That "pesty" behavior led Twins Daily's Cody Christie to ask if Donaldson is among the least likable Twins players. Regardless of whether or not he's been a distraction to the team, it seems to make a lot of sense for the Twins to look to move on from any aging players with high salaries. 

I can certainly see the motivation behind a deal for both sides of this potential trade, but it also seems easy enough for the Mets to simply wait for Davis' return. The 28-year-old is a career .274/.353/.457 hitter and is already five-games deep into his rehab assignment. That, combined with the money concerns, leads me to believe if the two sides eventually come to an agreement there will be an underwhelming return for the Twins. 

Would it even be worth it? Well, that probably depends on what you think of the 2022 Minnesota Twins. We're going to find out where the organization stands by the end of this month.

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[mikelink45]

Trade him.  The Twins do not need to keep paying for a hitter, we need the money for an arm!

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Tom Froemming said:

There most definitely does not sound like there’s anything concrete and chances seem very good these talks don’t progress too far.

 

IMO this has reached public view because the Twins wanted it to. They are shopping him hard and want other potential suitors to know that at least one team is interested.  That's all it is, at this point - marketing of a trade chip.  He's worn out his welcome.

[Tom Froemming]

55 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Trade him.  The Twins do not need to keep paying for a hitter, we need the money for an arm!

I'd agree, but there's no telling whether or not they'll actually reinvest any money saved. 

2 minutes ago, ashbury said:

IMO this has reached public views because the Twins wanted it to. They are shopping him hard and want other potential suitors to know that at least one team is interested.  That's all it is, at this point - marketing of a trade chip.  He's worn out his welcome.

Maybe, but in that SNY article it's mentioned that the Mets are also believed to be interested in Kris Bryant, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's the other way around. 

[ashbury]

2 minutes ago, Tom Froemming said:

Maybe, but in that SNY article it's mentioned that the Mets are also believed to be interested in Kris Bryant, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's the other way around. 

Very fair take.

[Mark G]

Very nice article, but the last sentence says it all, in a lot more ways than Donaldson.

[In My La Z boy]

Jeff Passan of Espn wrote "the Twins are the team almost every contender is waiting on"

Not sure exactly where he is going with this, but it sounds positive, and let's just hope we capitalize on great opportunities.

[LA VIkes Fan]

I will at least be consistent - trade Donaldson and use every cent of the savings to sign Berrios. The return is basically irrelevant; the point is to free up payroll for the player we need to keep the most.   

[bean5302]

In many ways, the Twins are in a good place with the ability to eat Donaldson's contract and it's pretty well known the Mets don't have the payroll space. Unfortunately, the Mets also don't have what I would consider a lot of close to ready minor league talent the Twins would covet to entice the Twins to eat Donaldson's contract. Plus, historically, the Twins have been willing to trade prospects to save a little cash in transactions rather than spend cash to acquire prospects. It also doesn't seem likely the Twins would be interested in swapping expensive contracts since Donaldson's contract is short.

I just don't have an idea of how this would really work at all.

[twinstalker]

31 minutes ago, In My La Z boy said:

Jeff Passan of Espn wrote "the Twins are the team almost every contender is waiting on"

Not sure exactly where he is going with this, but it sounds positive, and let's just hope we capitalize on great opportunities.

I think this implies:  Can we get Twins talent cheap?  If so, we'll make a play for it.  If not, we'll move on.  Why the Twins?  Most non-contenders don't have talent they're willing to get rid of, except the occasional Freddy Galvis type.  (Better than Simmons, though)

[bean5302]

13 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

I think this implies:  Can we get Twins talent cheap?  If so, we'll make a play for it.  If not, we'll move on.  Why the Twins?  Most non-contenders don't have talent they're willing to get rid of, except the occasional Freddy Galvis type.  (Better than Simmons, though)

I'm also speculating, but I think it implies other teams feel strongly Minnesota's season is done and we have a lot of talent under short team control which teams are usually eager to flip and contenders are very interested in acquiring.

[LA VIkes Fan]

We do have some decent short term pieces to trade in Robles, Simmons, Happ, and even Cruz. I think what teams are waiting on is to see whether the Twins will trade what they really want - Berrios, Buxton and Rogers. Other teams are going to want to be sure those three are not available before they pivot to the short term veterans typically trade at the trade deadline.

My view is you keep the three main pieces and try to sign them over the winter before you even consider a trade unless you are overwhelmed with an offer that includes MLB ready players with significant upside. The veterans are worth trading since they are unlikely to be here next year, with the possible exception of Cruz. I would also really seriously consider trading Donaldson, not because of the return as much as because of the money it would free up to hopefully help sign the three guys we really want to keep.

 

[insagt1]

Twins shouldn't give away their talent. They should require (demand) a very good offer or 'forget it'!  I don't think Twins are 'desperate' to just dump talent. But I am also finally coming to the realization that they just don't have it this season. The lineup is fine. the pitching is pathetic...almost to a man. Berrios may be the only exception. Even Rogers will go cold. Last time out he came in with sacks loaded and gave up all 3 runs. But oh well

[darwin22]

47 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

We do have some decent short term pieces to trade in Robles, Simmons, Happ, and even Cruz. I think what teams are waiting on is to see whether the Twins will trade what they really want - Berrios, Buxton and Rogers. Other teams are going to want to be sure those three are not available before they pivot to the short term veterans typically trade at the trade deadline.

My view is you keep the three main pieces and try to sign them over the winter before you even consider a trade unless you are overwhelmed with an offer that includes MLB ready players with significant upside. The veterans are worth trading since they are unlikely to be here next year, with the possible exception of Cruz. I would also really seriously consider trading Donaldson, not because of the return as much as because of the money it would free up to hopefully help sign the three guys we really want to keep.

 

LA Vikes Fan:  I, for one, am in complete agreement with your analysis.  Call me an eternal optimist, but if Twins management follows your position-----doing everything possible to retain Berrios, Buxton and Rogers----by investing the financial savings gained by trading Donaldson (big $$) and the prorated salaries of Simmons, Pineda and Cruz--the foundation is there to compete next season.  Saying that, Falvey & Levine need to make some serious moves in the offseason to upgrade the rotation and as importantly the bullpen.  Those in the camp of trading EVERYBODY, I just don't understand.  

[Danchat]

53 minutes ago, insagt1 said:

Twins shouldn't give away their talent. They should require (demand) a very good offer or 'forget it'!  I don't think Twins are 'desperate' to just dump talent. But I am also finally coming to the realization that they just don't have it this season. The lineup is fine. the pitching is pathetic...almost to a man. Berrios may be the only exception. Even Rogers will go cold. Last time out he came in with sacks loaded and gave up all 3 runs. But oh well

This isn't something I'd be worried about, if they're moving some of the big pieces (Berrios/Rogers), I have no doubt they will get a substantial return on paper. My concerns lie with their ability to develop the prospects they get into legitimate MLB players.

[TwinsDr2021]

2 hours ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

I will at least be consistent - trade Donaldson and use every cent of the savings to sign Berrios. The return is basically irrelevant; the point is to free up payroll for the player we need to keep the most.   

Why do they Twins have to trade Donaldson to sign Berrios, did the front office and fans just recently find out that Berrios was due to be a free agent after 2022? If the front office signed Donaldson knowing they couldn't sign Berrios and their plan was to get cheap starting pitchers from the minors and off the scrap heap, they should be fired this second.

The only reason to trade Donaldson is because some team is desperate for offensive and has a really highly thought of pitching prospect that is close to the majors they are will to trade to try and win this year, anything else is just stupid, the twins already have a bunch of prospects that will need to be added to the 40 and have some on there that aren't probably going to help next year (Rooker for example).

Trade the guys that are free agents at the end of the year for young minor leagues that don't need to be added to the 40 soon and keep the guys under contract.

 

[Vanimal46]

I’m not confident the recouped money from offloading Donaldson’s contract will be used to find players better than him. There’s room on this team for him next year if it turns out we need to eat too much of the remaining contract to get a decent prospect. Cruz will be gone, Sano most likely gone too. Plenty of DH and 3B PAs available next year. 

[RpR]

Yep trade the talent that makes the Twins worth watching -- lose 100 this year, bring the supposed raw miracle workers next year and lose another 100, wow, 10,000 at the stadium will be a good night.

[DocBauer]

This season reminds me so much of 2018 when things just didn't go as planned/hoped/expected and the FO didn't blow things up, but they began a re-tool to get ready for 2019 and moved Pressly and Escobar for some really nice young talent. I wasn't crazy about either move, despite the return, because I felt strongly the Twins were in good position for 2019. IIRC correctly, Escobar was a pending FA but Pressly was not. So Pressly was the guy I really wanted to keep.

And PLEASE, I am NOT trying to re-hash who won trades! My point, however, is that I feel almost the same way today as I did then. There is work to be done for 2022. But some "blow it up" option is not needed and rather ridiculous. Nor do i expect the FO to do so.

Donaldson is not why this season crashed and burned. Despite a few unusual miscues, he's played his normally great defense and his numbers are very solid. And he's been largely healthy and dependable and in the lineup except for an early IL stint. But if they can move him, it frees up $ for other areas to address. The Twins made a big and exciting investment. It didn't work. But they took the shot. So now, maybe they can gain financial flexibility get at least a little something back, Donaldson goes to a contending team, and the Mets get some offense that they desperately need. Everyone wins.

Considering the $ available to the Mets, and how determined and aggressive their ownership seems to be I'm not sure how concerned they are about a payroll ceiling. Might be a bit of posturing. Unless the Twins have to throw in a bunch of bank to make this happen, I'm OK with the trade. But with $ going out and little coming back then you have to wonder if the trade makes sense from the Twins perspective as well. 

Kirilloff, Larnach, Jeffers and possibly Gordon have arrived as part of the next wave. There remains a very good chance that with 3 months, left we still see Duran, Winder, Miranda, and maybe a couple pen arms who get some experience and get their feet wet for 2022. 

And sorry, just like the disappointing 2018, and changes needing to be made this roster is not devoid of talent.

While only early rumors at this point, considering how this potential trade makes sense for both sides, I give these rumors at least semi-stable legs. 

It really makes a ton of sense if neither side has to give up too much, $ for the Twins and prosoects for the Mets.

[HrbieFan]

Donaldson is one of the few good hitters on the team. Yep, let's eat the money and get someone that will help win in 3 years, if we are lucky. SMH 

[Linus]

It was a horrible signing to begin with (check my posting history). If they can dump his contract they should in a heartbeat   Ask nothing in return. 

[Aerodeliria]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

I’m not confident the recouped money from offloading Donaldson’s contract will be used to find players better than him. There’s room on this team for him next year if it turns out we need to eat too much of the remaining contract to get a decent prospect. Cruz will be gone, Sano most likely gone too. Plenty of DH and 3B PAs available next year. 

This!

[Rosterman]

Yep, do the Twins offer Buxton, Berrios or are they just dumping Happ, Robles, Simmons, Cruz, Donaldson to move 2021 payroll. Let's throw Pineda into the mix. I really don't see teams offering the Twins much for soon=to-be-free agents. 

 

But sicne the players really aren't doing it for the Twins, might as well bank money and sign your own to keep sights on...a future.

[Vanimal46]

44 minutes ago, Linus said:

It was a horrible signing to begin with (check my posting history). If they can dump his contract they should in a heartbeat   Ask nothing in return. 

That certainly wouldn’t bode well for the current regime if 1.5 years ago you’re proposing $92 million to sign him and you’re asking for another $20+ million today to get out of it. 

[jimbo92107]

Trade him and call up Miranda. At this point, why not? Meanwhile, the Mets get a possible key to playoff wins, and us fans get to see another young prospect that looks like a future star. 

Bring up the kids, Twins. It's the only thing that will keep the fans interested.

[Major League Ready]

18 hours ago, Danchat said:

This isn't something I'd be worried about, if they're moving some of the big pieces (Berrios/Rogers), I have no doubt they will get a substantial return on paper. My concerns lie with their ability to develop the prospects they get into legitimate MLB players.

If they can't develop players we are perpetually doomed for certain.  It will take a significant contribution from our current SP prospects for this team to even be remotely competitive.  We are also doomed if we follow poor strategies.  Given there is no chance we can ever contend without good development,  I would follow the strategies most likely to produce sustained winning.  This includes replacing the people responsible for selecting and/or developing talent.

For those who ask "didnt they know Berrios would be a FA when they signed Donaldson".  Of course , they did.  Donaldson's was a classic "added piece" that would be here for 3 years with Berrios.  The plan could not have been to spend big on free agents and extend all of our best players.  The money eventually runs out.  That's the way it works with a mid market team  I don't understand people bitching they won't add expensive pieces when they get into contention and then complain when they do.  To be clear there were people here who criticized this signing.  I was on the fence because I have always admired Donaldson's game but understood the risk of signing a player past his prime.    

[lukeduke1980]

I agree that a trade should be considered as there appears to be a prospect behind him though there isn't a need to rush Miranda.  Sano was a prospect at one point too.  Figure out how to keep your prospects from becoming suspects after their first time around otherwise what's the point if young talent can't sustain. 

[TopGunn#22]

I agree with Doc Bauer, this year has been a LOT like 2018.  Every move the vaunted FO made for 2018 blew up in their faces.  This season has been a repeat.  Falvey and Levine handed Molitor a crap roster in 2018 and then used the 100 loss season to fire him.  I'm not advocating for the Twins to fire Rocco, but let's be honest, Rocco has had a BAD year.

Here's a wild idea...Trade Donaldson and Simmons to the Mets for Lindor.  The Mets are supposedly worried about going over the luxury tax and Mets fans, based on the comments from the link are very DOWN on Lindor.  Let's take Lindor off their hands.      

Whatever you think of that crazy idea, the Twins need to move Donaldson.  They need a SS (either Lindor in the trade or a Story/Baez move next year).  

[yeahyabetcha]

Donaldson might be overpaid, but he is still one of the better current lineup pieces. Is paying him to play for another team really saving much money?  You still have to replace him and projecting Arraez and Miranda as possible everyday replacements might be wishful thinking.  

[Major League Ready]

47 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

I agree with Doc Bauer, this year has been a LOT like 2018.  Every move the vaunted FO made for 2018 blew up in their faces.  This season has been a repeat.  Falvey and Levine handed Molitor a crap roster in 2018 and then used the 100 loss season to fire him.  I'm not advocating for the Twins to fire Rocco, but let's be honest, Rocco has had a BAD year.

Here's a wild idea...Trade Donaldson and Simmons to the Mets for Lindor.  The Mets are supposedly worried about going over the luxury tax and Mets fans, based on the comments from the link are very DOWN on Lindor.  Let's take Lindor off their hands.      

Whatever you think of that crazy idea, the Twins need to move Donaldson.  They need a SS (either Lindor in the trade or a Story/Baez move next year).  

I don't want to speak for Doc but I think you missed his point.  I thought he meant they sucked in 2018 and a lot of the guys who were supposed be our core underwhelmed.  Then, in 2019, most of them (Berrios / Garver / Kepler Buxton and EVEN Sano had career years.  Most of the free agent signings went great and they had a big improvement in the BP.  The Twins won 100 games but let's somehow turn that into a scenario that supports the FO is incompetent.