The Blue Jays Trade for Josh Donaldson

On November 28, 2014, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson from the Oakland Athletics for second baseman Brett Lawrie, pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, and shortstop Franklin Barreto. The trade sent the reigning AL home run leader (among third basemen) to a Blue Jays team desperate to end a postseason drought that stretched back to 1993.

Donaldson had finished fourth in AL MVP voting in 2014 after hitting .255 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI for Oakland. The Athletics, true to their pattern of trading stars before they could leave in free agency, moved Donaldson with two years of team control remaining. General manager Billy Beane extracted four young players, headlined by Lawrie, a former top prospect who had struggled to stay healthy.

The return for Toronto was immediate and overwhelming. Donaldson hit .297 with 41 home runs and 123 RBI in 2015, winning the American League MVP Award and leading the Blue Jays to their first postseason appearance in 22 years. Toronto won the AL East that season and advanced to the ALCS before losing to the Kansas City Royals.

Donaldson's arrival changed the culture of the franchise. Combined with midseason acquisitions of Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, the Blue Jays fielded one of the most potent lineups in baseball during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, reaching the ALCS both years. The trade stands as one of the most lopsided deals of the decade. Oakland received useful pieces, with Graveman developing into a serviceable starter, but none of the four players approached the impact Donaldson made in Toronto.