With the expansion of Major League Baseball rosters upon us in just a few days, the Yankees announced big roster moves on Tuesday with the release of veteran third basemen Josh Donaldson and they placed center fielder Harrison Bader on waivers.
The aura looming over Yankees nation went from “World Series back on” with the news of Donaldson to “Hal and Cashman are destroying us from the inside” with the news of Bader.
What we do know, is, the Yankees are reckoning with moves that contributed to what has been one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
What happened to Donaldson?
The “Bringer of Rain” was just that in his prime. In 2015, Donaldson won the AL MVP as a Toronto Blue Jay, finishing that year with a .297 batting average, 122 runs scored, 41 doubles, 41 home runs, and 123 RBIs.
After a short stint in Cleveland, he sparked something with the Atlanta Braves that convinced the Minnesota Twins to give him a four-year, $92 million free agent contract. Donaldson wasn’t a good fit with the Twins, which led them to look for takers.
In 2022, the Yankees fell for the stunt and made one of the worst trade deals, if not the worst, in franchise history. The Yankees dealt third basemen Gio Urshela and catcher Gary Sanchez to the Twins and added the $50 million remaining on Donaldson's contract to their books. Less than two full seasons in, Donaldson’s days in pinstripes are over.
While Donaldson’s fielding wasn’t of concern, his play at the plate was. Donaldson played a total of 34 games this season, finishing with a .142 batting average, 13 runs scored, one double, 10 home runs, 15 RBIs, and 32 strikeouts.
Donaldson is expected to clear waivers Wednesday afternoon, and should another team pick him up by Friday, that would make him postseason-eligible.
“Like, what does waivers mean?”
In a postgame interview, Harrison Bader told YES Network's Meredith Marakovits he learned he had been placed on waivers via ESPN on the TV in the lunch room. Asked what his reaction was, Bader said “Like, what does waivers mean?”
Harrison Bader tells @M_Marakovits how he discovered he was placed on waivers.#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/T7CIGivRGs
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 30, 2023
But what does waivers mean? According to the MLB Glossary, when a player is placed on waivers, it means the other 29 teams across Major League Baseball will have an opportunity to claim any of the waived players and pick up the remainder of their salary before the Sept. 1 playoff roster deadline. If a player is claimed before Sept. 1, they will be eligible for the postseason.
Claims are awarded in reverse order of winning percentage, so teams with the worst records will get first crack at the pool of players.
If the waived player is not claimed, they will stay on their current roster.
A player can reject an outright assignment to the minor leagues and opt for free agency if he has more than three years of Major League service time or was previously outrighted in his career. Players with more than three but less than five years of MLB service time would forfeit any guaranteed money if they rejected an outright assignment.
Harrison Bader, who was suffering from plantar fasciitis at the time, was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals last season that sent left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis. This season, Bader missed the first 30 games with an oblique strain and later went back on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain.
Given the mount of injuries the New York native Bader has dealt with during his tenure as a Yankee, it’s tough to say whether we’ve seen him at his full potential. In his 83 games played this season, he currently holds a .239 batting average with seven home runs and 37 RBIs.
As of Tuesday, the Yankees still started Bader, although it’ll be interesting to see if they bring up Jasson Dominguez to play out the remainder of the season.
Nine series’ remain this season
The last month of regular season Major League Baseball is upon us and the Yankees have just nine series’ left. As the bottom dweller of the AL East, the Bombers will play to bring their current record of 64-68 above .500.
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