Josh Donaldson Retires After Being Signed Too Late by the New York Yankees
The Yankees felt they needed an advantage once the owner’s lockout ended in March 2022, and they think Josh Donaldson may provide that mindset.
Thus, they ended the Gary Sanchez era on a quiet Sunday early in the shortened spring training, and part of the intriguing catcher’s comeback involved getting Josh Donaldson back from the Minnesota Twins.
The Yankees found out about seven months later that they had acquired Donaldson a few years too late. They found out more about this well into the 2023 season. On Monday, the 13-year veteran appeared to confirm this information when he announced his retirement on Sean Casey’s podcast while speaking with his former hitting coach from the Yankees.
Donaldson stated on the Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey, “Today is a sad but also a happy day for me to where I am going to announce my retirement from the game that I’ve dedicated my entire life around.” I will no longer be able to go outside and play the game that I enjoy, which makes me sad. However, I’m also having a great time spending time with my family and starting a new chapter in my life.
Donaldson’s 17-game cameo in the last month of the previous season with Milwaukee marked the end of a career that saw him play in 1,383 games for the A’s, Blue Jays, Guardians, Braves, Twins, Yankees, and Brewers. After being cut by the Yankees, he was acquired by Milwaukee, where he batted.169 (10-for-69).
As he may have been hinting at on Casey’s show, it’s possible that someone contacted out, but it was probably a non-roster invite with no assurance that Donaldson would make the squad.
“I just really felt like it would have had to be a perfect situation for me to go back and play,” he said, “And there were a couple of opportunities out there, but at the end of the day, things really weren’t clicking and meshing for myself to be ready and go into a season mentally and physically ready to play.”
Business, Sports, and Money
Josh Donaldson Retires After Being Signed Too Late by the New York Yankees
Author Larry Fleisher
For more than ten years, I have covered the sports scene in New York.
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0 March 5, 2024, 12:58 a.m. EST
Josh Donaldson of the Milwaukee Brewers retires from baseball in the eighth inning of a game against the Washington… [+]By The Associated Press, 2023. RESERVE ALL RIGHTS.
The Yankees felt they needed an advantage once the owner’s lockout ended in March 2022, and they think Josh Donaldson may provide that mindset.
Thus, they ended the Gary Sanchez era on a quiet Sunday early in the shortened spring training, and part of the intriguing catcher’s comeback involved getting Josh Donaldson back from the Minnesota Twins.
The Yankees found out about seven months later that they had acquired Donaldson a few years too late. They found out more about this well into the 2023 season. On Monday, the 13-year veteran appeared to confirm this information when he announced his retirement on Sean Casey’s podcast while speaking with his former hitting coach from the Yankees.
Donaldson stated on the Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey, “Today is a sad but also a happy day for me to where I am going to announce my retirement from the game that I’ve dedicated my entire life around.” I will no longer be able to go outside and play the game that I enjoy, which makes me sad. However, I also get to enjoy this really wonderful moment.
