New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

What should the Yankees do with dead weight former MVP?

By Beau Adams | Last updated 6/30/23

13-year veteran Josh Donaldson has been one of the bigger names in Major League Baseball over the past decade. The 2015 AL MVP carries a .850 career OPS and is approaching 300 home runs, but Father Time has caught up to the 37-year-old Yankee.

Last season with New York, Donaldson was a weak link in the middle of a loaded lineup. In 132 games, he batted .222, drove in 62 runs and struck out 148 times, the second-highest figure of his career. His .682 OPS was far from the .939 he attained in 2015.

Donaldson started 2023 by posting a terrible .125/.176/.313 across 16 at-bats before being placed on the injured list with a strained hamstring. Returning on June 2, he looked rejuvenated, socking two homers in his first game back. But he has shown his age since, and his average is only .147, with 26 strikeouts in 77 at-bats.

In 24 games, Donaldson has stranded 37 runners and is 2-for-33 with men on base. His double in the ninth inning of Wednesday's win over Oakland was his first hit this season with a runner in scoring position.

Josh Donaldson has hit first hit of the season with runners in scoring position (1-16) and the Yanks now lead 10-0 pic.twitter.com/B38w64Pg8f
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 29, 2023

After homering in New York's 2-1 loss Tuesday night against Oakland, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about Donaldson's poor performance.

"He's got a lot of confidence because he's capable of that right there," he told the media, referring to Donaldson's home run. "Hopefully, this is something that jump-starts him this week, but we all got to pull our weight and get it going a little more offensively."

There are rumblings the New York Mets might be ready to take on Donaldson's exorbitant contract if the Yankees are willing to send reliever Ian Hamilton along with him.

There is also the possibility of New York paying the bulk of his contract and trading him to the Washington Nationals for third baseman Jeimer Candelario. Still, the asking price for Candelario—who Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported is available—could be steep. Instead, the Yankees should forgo packaging young talent and Donaldson in any trade.

Donaldson is in the final season of his four-year, $92 million contract with the Yankees. The third baseman told Brendan Kuty of The Athletic he hasn't decided whether he wants to continue playing beyond this season.

The Yankees rightfully cut ties with Aaron Hicks for a performance similar to Donaldson's. They need to do the same with Donaldson or at the very least keep him on the bench. He is deadweight, and New York should have eaten his salary and designated him for assignment after he was fined and suspended in May 2022 for making insensitive comments to Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.

Donaldson's Yankees career is likely done.

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