Josh Donaldson Retires After 13-Year MLB Career
Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP and three-time All-Star, has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after a 13-year career. The 38-year-old made the announcement on “The Mayor’s Office” podcast, hosted by former first baseman Sean Casey.
Donaldson’s career peaked from 2013-17, when he established himself as one of the top third basemen in the league with Oakland and Toronto. In 2013, he finished fourth in the AL MVP voting with Oakland, and two years later, he won the award with Toronto. That season, Donaldson led the AL in RBIs (123), total bases (352), and runs (122), helping the Blue Jays reach the AL Championship Series.
From 2014-16, Donaldson earned three consecutive All-Star appearances and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting in 2016. After injuries limited his playing time in 2017 and 2018, he signed a one-year contract with Atlanta and finished 11th in the NL MVP voting in 2019.
Donaldson’s performance declined after signing a four-year, $92 million contract with Minnesota at age 34. He was traded to the Yankees ahead of the 2022 season and struggled with New York, hitting just .142 with 10 homers in 33 games. He was released in August and signed a minor league deal with the Brewers, where he hit .169 in 17 games.
“As things kind of kept transpiring, I just really felt it had to be a perfect situation for me to go back and play,” Donaldson said. “There were a couple of opportunities out there, but at the end of the day, things weren’t really clicking and meshing for myself to be ready and go into a season mentally and physically ready to play.”
Donaldson finishes his career with a .261 batting average, .358 on-base percentage, 279 homers, and 816 RBIs in 1,383 regular-season games. He played for Oakland, Toronto, Cleveland, Atlanta, Minnesota, New York, and Milwaukee.