Toronto Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson willing to be patient with contract
With many questions about his future with the Toronto Blue Jays, Josh Donaldson spoke with the media at Winter Fest about his contract status.
If there was one thing Josh Donaldson wanted to make clear to the media, money was not going to be a major factor towards his future with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The third baseman was at the team’s Winter Fest at Rogers Centre where he took questions from the media mainly about his contract status which is up for renewal at the end of the season.
The 2015 AL MVP signed a record one-year, $23-million deal to avoid going to arbitration. Now the focus will be on what happens going forward which according to Donaldson has been pretty quiet so far.
"“I kind of let my agent take care of what’s going on, as far as those types of talks,” said Donaldson to reporters. “He fills me in whenever there’s information that’s going on with that. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been [any talks] up to this point. I think it will be a fluid situation at some point, it’s just not now.”"
While there is still time for a contract to get done, Donaldson does not want to rush the process, something he hopes will benefit him.
Donaldson: "My mom always told me, you don’t always get things right away when you want them. Patience is a virtue. And I definitely think being patient has worked out for me up until this point — and I’m going to continue to do that."
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) January 20, 2018
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At 32-years-old expect Donaldson to want a five-year term in a possible extension, something he has definitely earned. Since his arrival in Toronto, the team has gone to two straight appearances in the ALCS and missed out on the postseason in a season where their best player was dealing with nagging injuries.
The trade rumours surrounding Donaldson have pretty much disappeared but if the Blue Jays struggle out of the gate again this season, expect them to ramp up once again.
Donaldson also mentioned that he is not interested in setting the bar in free agency when it comes to how much he makes in salary but judging by his arbitration number, it will only get higher for him.
How much will he look to make? It would not be surprising to see it get close to $30-million a season but the big part of the contract talks will be whether the Blue Jays give Donaldson the term he is looking for.
Next: Jays acquire Randal Grichuk
What do you think about the comments made by Donaldson? Are you optimistic about him staying in Toronto? Let us know in the comments.