Let’s face it, when the Yankees traded Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt, it didn’t smell good. Almost a year later, it’s not better.
At first glance, the Yankees seemed to lose in this transaction, mainly because of the financial commitment related to Donaldson. Afterwards, it is indeed the case. Kiner-Falefa hasn’t proven to be a good option at shortstop and Donaldson is no longer the shadow of the player he once was.
If healthy, DJ LeMahieu will be regular third baseman in 2023. That means Donaldson will be a $21 million bench player. It’s not the first time the Yankees have squandered money, but normally they don’t have a big weakness elsewhere in the lineup.
Right now, left field and shortstop are far too big question marks for a team that aspires to win top honors. And the Yankees don’t have much leeway to fix the problem.
Right now, they would have an estimated payroll of $292.3 million for next year. The fourth tier of the luxury tax is at $293 million. This tax is 80% on every dollar spent. This is a level where owner Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t want to go.
The only way to find money is to trade one of the bad contracts. And the worst is that of Josh Donaldson. Impossible mission. We saw it coming.
