Two years after going all in, Blue Jays again go all in with Donaldson trade

Diposkan oleh silent aja 5:24 PM Post a Comment

Josh Donaldson is now a Blue Jay. (USATSI)

Two offseasons ago, the Blue Jays pushed all their chips into the middle of table by completing blockbuster trades with the Marlins and Mets. They emptied their farm system to acquire Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and others.

The result? Seventy-four wins and a last place finish in 2013. This past season didn't go much better. They won 83 games in 2014 but still finished well out of the postseason. So what is Toronto doing this offseason? They aren't scaling back and being conservative. They're doubling down and going all in, again.

On Friday night, the Blue Jays agreed to a blockbuster trade that brings Josh Donaldson to Toronto. Here is the full 1-for-4 trade with the Athletics:

Full trade: Josh Donaldson to Blue Jays, A's get Brett Lawrie, pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, SS Franklin Barreto. Deal done.

- Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 29, 2014

Acquiring Donaldson comes less than two weeks after the Jays signed Russell Martin to a five-year contract worth more than $80 million. They also effectively replaced Adam Lind with Justin Smoak earlier this offseason, so the lineup with have a new look in 2015.

Even with young talent like Marcus Stroman and Dalton Pompey, the Blue Jays have a clearly defined window of contention. It's the next two seasons, before Jose Bautista's, Edwin Encarnacion's and Dickey's contracts expire, before Martin and Reyes turn into pumpkins, and likely before the Yankees and Rays return to contention.

The AL East is weak right now. Weaker than it has been in years. The Orioles won the division this year and are still clearly the best team in the division, though they seem likely to lose Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller to free agency. The Red Sox have made some splashy additions this winter but they currently have what may be the worst rotation in MLB. The Yankees and Rays have an uphill battle ahead of them.

If the Blue Jays are going to go all in again, I mean really go for it, this is the time to do it. The AL East is very winnable. Dioner Navarro and Lawrie are nice players, but Martin and Donaldson are massive upgrades. Upgrades that make them no worse than the second best team in the division on November 28, with three months of offseason remaining.

Toronto still needs a second baseman, and another starter or a few relievers wouldn't hurt either, but the club appears to have already completed their major moves for the winter. The heavy lifting is done, and the result are big upgrades -- both offensively and defensively -- behind the plate and at the hot corner. The Jays are going for it again. They just have to hope it works better than it did two offseason ago.