Fresh off a day of blockbuster deals around the league, here’s a look at who might be interested in landing the former Winnipeg Jet.
TORONTO — Back in May of 2015 the Toronto Blue Jays were a middling team spinning their wheels. The losses were piling up and frustration was growing within the clubhouse, leading Josh Donaldson to utter that famous quote:
“This isn’t the try league, this is the get-it-done league. Eventually, they’re going to find people who are going to get it done.”
You know how the rest of that season unfolded. Donaldson backed his words up by delivering an MVP campaign and the Blue Jays, aided by several impact trades, eventually got right and steamrolled their way to within two wins of a World Series berth.
The 2024 Blue Jays also find themselves in a frustrating position. Acknowledging that the 2015 and ’24 iterations of the club are vastly different, it’s still worth asking Donaldson for his thoughts on the current team, though. Now retired, the 38-year-old former slugger tunes into Blue Jays games whenever he can, in between enjoying family time and indulging in his passion for golf.
So, Josh, what do you see from the team?
“I think they’re trying to find their identity right now,” responds Donaldson, who was in town for the recent Joe Carter Classic golf tournament. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they go on a nice run because they got good starting pitching and they honestly have guys in the lineup that can perform at a high level. It’s just getting everybody to do it at the same time and starting to roll on all cylinders.
“I don’t think their season’s over by any stretch,” he added. “It’s a long, long season and anything can still happen. But they’ve put themselves in a tough seat and they’re going to have to work themselves out.”
How does a team go about searching for that identity?
“That’s just where the communication comes in, and not just with the coaches,” said Donaldson. “[It falls on] the players — when you go on the plane rides, when you’re [sitting] after the game reminiscing and thinking about the game, asking, ‘What do we think that we could have done better or what did we do right and how do we build off that?’ It’s about having those thoughts and then the communication between the guys in that locker room, because that’s ultimately who decides the game.”