Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick doesn’t understand why the Athletics decided to trade third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays. Via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Reddick is correct, of course. Via FanGraphs, the 14.1 WAR Donaldson compiled since the start of the 2013 season vastly eclipses anyone else on the Athletics. Jed Lowrie comes in second at 5.4 and Reddick is third at 5.0. Donaldson gets the business aspect of the game, which ultimately led to his being traded:
Josh Reddick tells me he is shocked by Donaldson trade. “This doesn’t make sense to me. We just traded our best player the last 2 years.”
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 29, 2014
Reddick is correct, of course. Via FanGraphs, the 14.1 WAR Donaldson compiled since the start of the 2013 season vastly eclipses anyone else on the Athletics. Jed Lowrie comes in second at 5.4 and Reddick is third at 5.0. Donaldson gets the business aspect of the game, which ultimately led to his being traded:
Donaldson tells me: “At the end of the day, it’s a business, as much as it hurts emotionally. The guys in that clubhouse are my brothers.” — Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 29, 2014
Reddick said that it’s clear to him and his teammates that the Athletics are rebuilding. This is par for the course for the Athletics, however. So far this off-season, they’ve signed Billy Butler and Ike Davis, and now they’ve traded away Donaldson. They’re expected to pursue more trades, particularly one involving Brandon Moss. The team we saw barely lose the American League Wild Card game to the Royals could look a lot different when pitchers and catchers report in February.