Blue Jays trade Brett Lawrie to A's for Josh Donaldson
In a shocking late-night trade, the Blue Jays dealt 24-year-old Canadian third baseman Brett Lawrie and three prospects to the Oakland A’s on Friday for all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson.
The trade was officially announced by both clubs just before 10:30 p.m. General manager Alex Anthopoulos did not return the Star’s calls for comment by press time.
Lawrie, who hails from Langley, B.C., was once considered a future franchise cornerstone but the energetic infielder had struggled to stay healthy in recent years, playing in little more than half the team’s games the last two seasons.
In Donaldson, the Jays acquire a 28-year-old who finished in the top 10 in American League MVP voting the last two seasons. The Florida native hit .255 last season with 29 home runs and a .798 on-base plus slugging percentage. That season followed his 2013 breakout when he hit .301 with 24 homers with an .883 OPS.
The Jays also sent to Oakland a trio of minor-league prospects — left-hander Sean Nolin, right-hander Kendall Graveman and shortstop Franklin Barreto. Nolin and Graveman, who both earned September call-ups last season, are considered close to major-league ready but not among the organization’s high-end prospects. Though starters in the minors, many pundits peg them as better suited to a relief role in the big leagues. Barreto, meanwhile, is just 18 years old and several years away from the majors. He was signed by the Blue Jays in 2013 out of Venezuela.
Lawrie, who missed time last season due to a broken finger and strained oblique muscle, arrived in Toronto to great fanfare in 2011 after he was acquired the previous winter from the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Shaun Marcum. His big-league career got off to an impressive start at the end of the 2011 season when, in a 43-game sample, he offered glimpses of all-star potential. But the ensuing three seasons were marked with many ups and downs, as the high-octane and tightly wound player struggled to produce consistently at the plate. His fiery demeanour also worked against him at times, most notably when he was suspended for hitting an umpire with his batting helmet, and when he injured himself while diving into a 10-foot camera well at Yankee Stadium.
