The Oakland Athletics traded All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays in a five-player deal Friday night.
“I’m so shocked,” Donaldson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I just got off the phone with (Oakland general manager) Billy Beane, and I guess they got an offer that they couldn’t resist. I’m definitely a little emotional about it. Oakland
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is my home.”Donaldson, also a premier defensive player, batted .255 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs this past season.
The Blue Jays sent third baseman Brett Lawrie, pitching prospects Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman and Class-A shortstop Franklin Barreto to Oakland.
Lawrie is a solid all-around player when healthy, but has spent significant time on the disabled list in recent seasons. Graveman is a potential fifth starter and Nolin figures to be a reliever. The 18-year-old Barreto is still a ways away from the majors.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” A’s outfielder Josh Reddick told the Chronicle. “We traded our best player the past two years. It seems like we’re going into a rebuilding drive.
“It’s sad any time you see your best player go, not just as a player but as a person. And he’s our three-hole hitter and best defensive player. He was big for our team.”