He Former American League MVP Josh Donaldsonannounced his retirement on Monday after 13 seasons in the MLB during an appearance on the podcast “The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey.”
A calf injury limited the 38-year-old to 50 games last season, split between the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers. While he helped Milwaukee to an NL Central title late in the year, Donaldson batted a career-worst .152 with just 13 home runs in 189 total at-bats.
Donaldson said he had opportunities to continue his career, but decided to retire after getting married and spending time with his family during the offseason. He added that he would have needed the “perfect situation” to play this year.
“Today is a sad day but also a happy one for me… It’s sad because I won’t be able to go out and play the game I love anymore, but it’s also a very happy moment where I can play again.” being close to family and embarking on the next chapter of life,” Donaldson said.
Donaldson is best known for his brief but dominant career with the Toronto Blue Jays as one of the sluggers who made appearances in the American League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016. Acquired for four players in a blockbuster trade before the 2015 season, he earned the American League MVP in 2015 after helping the Blue Jays to break a 22-year postseason drought. In just four seasons with Toronto, Donaldson won two Silver Sluggers and a Hank Aaron Award and made two of the three All-Star Game appearances of his career.
Perhaps his most memorable moment in a Blue Jays uniform came during the 2016 American League Division Series, when he won the series for Toronto against the archrivals the Texas Rangers.
