2) Josh Donaldson
Josh Donaldson is going to become Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino one day. I’ll admit he was one of my favorite players in the league back when he first got to the Toronto Blue Jays and won an MVP. I enjoyed the trash talking and feud with Manny Machado. While Machado seems to have grown up a bit, Donaldson has been in a state of arrested development.
Upon joining the Milwaukee Brewers last year, Donaldson didn’t introduce himself because “everybody already knows who I am.” Classless for sure, we can already safely bet Donaldson has no interest in returning to New York at all after his forgettable stint with the Yankees. He’ll have to deal with the same media that crushed him endlessly.
Donaldson would be a much more intriguing match for the Mets if he didn’t hit .152/.249/.418 last season. The absence of any reliability or at least robust power takes away any reason to sign him.
The version of him from a few years ago would have actually been a perfect match. Donaldson could be a DH and backup third baseman. Instead, the Mets should probably have Justin Turner in mind for this.
Fortunately, Donaldson may have ousted himself from a lot of locker rooms with the way he has behaved. The Mets, who may have otherwise had some sort of interest, can turn their gaze elsewhere without a second thought.