Josh Donaldson’s latest comments have Yankees fans dreaming of his retirement

Slugging third baseman Josh Donaldson has squandered more potential goodwill than any of the Yankees’ recent less-than-inspiring acquisitions.

His clutch résumé in 2022 was really impressive. He left the Red Sox twice. He drilled two homers and tapped in seven carries in a crucial two-game stretch at Fenway Park in July. His walk-off grand slam to sink the Rays was perhaps the most memorable non-judge moment of last season. On occasion he meant the very form of intensity he was imported for, and his Gold Glove-level defense was a stabilizing force.

Of course, it’s no secret why he was so loathed despite all this. Most other moments his offensive contributions were absent, characterized by his stopping and staring at both breakers and fastballs down the middle. When it came time to hit back against the Astros in the ALCS, he was as shotless and tired as anyone, recording a lone hit in 13 at-bats and hitting 10 times.

And in a twist to remember, in mid-May he poisoned the team’s good spirits by instigating a racially charged incident involving White Sox All-Star Tim Anderson and berating the Yankees for their apparent unwillingness to “stand” him (although he was very much the attacker).

$25 million against the luxury tax in 2023 for all that, right? Priceless. When the Yankees acquired Donaldson, many believed they were flexing their financial muscles and using their unique ability to pay someone the Twins couldn’t to get what they wanted. Instead, they’ve been acting like a small team ever since, letting Donaldson’s dollar serve as an excuse shield against further improvement on offense.