Josh Donaldson is poised to share a clubhouse with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, nine months after placing him in the sights of MLB’s sticky drug crackdown.
The Yankees made a blockbuster trade with the Twins on Sunday night, sending Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins in exchange for Donaldson, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and catcher Ben Rortvedt.
After Donaldson called Cole out in June for using illicit drugs on the mound, the arrangement has some rough edges that may need to be smoothed out.
Yankees Acquired Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Ben Rortvedt
He did, however, note Cole’s lack of response to his usage of Spider Tack. According to reports, the Twins sought to get rid of Donaldson’s deal. He owes $50 million over the next two years, and they’re now looking for a buyer for Sanchez, who they don’t want to keep.
Sanchez, a two-time All-Star, hit just.204 last season and.147 in 2020, despite being a two-time All-Star. In 117 games last season, he hit 23 home runs and drove in 54 runs.
Sanchez has 138 home runs and 340 RBIs in 538 games with the Yankees throughout his career. In 116 games last season, Urshela, 30, batted.267 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs. In 458 games with three organizations, he has 49 home runs, 192 RBIs, and a 0.27-lifetime average.
On Saturday, the Twins acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Texas Rangers. In exchange for catcher Mitch Garver, Kiner-Falefa and right-hander Ronny Henriquez were sent to Minnesota. Kiner-Falefa, who turns 27 on March 23, batted .271 in 158 games last season, with eight home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 53 RBIs. In 2020, he got a Gold Glove at third base. Last season, Rortvedt, 24, batted .169 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 39 games with the Twins.
