This trade hurt; J.D. was easily one of my top 5 favorite Athletics of all time.
“We needed to do something that wasn’t timid.”
–Billy Beane
Billy Beane walked into the pub again with guns blazing as he traded Josh Donaldson to the BlueJays for Brett Lawrie and 3 prospects. (one of which is supposedly ML ready) I saw this coming when Pablo Sandoval, an inferior third baseman, signed a huge contract with the Red Sox–all but pushing the A’s out of the picture for an extension. Donaldson also had endeared himself to his already rabid fan base by calling owner Lou Wolff a cheap son of a bitch on Twitter, or in his own words, “they have plenty of money, my friend. they just tell everybody they don’t.
The fans are predictably upset and tired of the Oakland owners playing with MLB’s money for ultimate profit. There is an underlying stench of betrayal and lack of loyalty. Donaldson was the Athletics most popular player and maybe the most popular 3rd baseman in franchise history. (sorry Chavy!) J.D. was very likable with his defensive hustle, power when the game was on the line and awesome trademark mullet/mohawk/rat-tail combo. He was visibly shaken and spoke to reporters about the trade: “I’m so shocked, I just got off the phone with Billy Beane, and I guess they got an offer that they couldn’t resist. I’m definitely a little emotional about it. Oakland is my home. At the end of the day, it’s a business, as much as it hurts emotionally. The guys in that clubhouse are my brothers.”
Our new guy…40 ounces to freedom!
I, myself, was a huge fan of J.D., and although I’ve analyzed the trade with a heavy heart, I am trying to stay positive and see the pot of gold through the rainbow.
1. It is no secret that Beane loves pitching, and the two minor league pitchers we received in return (Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman) put up some good numbers last year. You can be assured both of these gentleman will start a handful of games in an Athletics uniform next season all but assuring Jeff Simardizija or Scott Kazmir will be traded in a packaged deal for oh, say….Justin Upton.
2. Brett Lawrie plays 3rd base with a little bit of second sprinkled in…the dude has a shit load of tattoos and epitomizes the word “bro” more than anyone in my own personal life. As far as on-the-field he is much younger than Donaldson (25) and is just a notch or 2 below J.D. on the offensive and defensive side. A major concern is his history of injury. He is definitely serviceable with the talent to be really good.
In the end Donaldson says this to the fans of Oakland:
“To the fans of Oakland: Thank you for all the memories on and off the field I truly am blessed to have been part of it. We have had a lot of great memories together and the memories I will have will always hold a special place for me. Everyday I wore that uniform with pride, and gave you all that I could. Thank you again!!”
Strap yourselves in Oakland fans….this is just the beginning.
