Yankees now linked to Josh Donaldson? Stop the madness.

In a recent article put out by NJ.com, Josh Donaldson was suggested as a good fit for the Yankees. I’m here to tell you why this may, in fact, be the most ridiculous trade rumor yet.

A Josh Donaldson trade is the type of situation that general managers dream about. A player that quickly became an All-Star and MVP upon his move from Oakland to Toronto — and giving up essentially nothing in return.

The highlight piece was Brett Lawrie, who isn’t even playing on an MLB team right now. Donaldson took the baseball world by storm two seasons ago when he took the Blue Jays to the ALCS. Those days seem like a distant memory — now that the Jays find themselves with a 19-26 record and a spot for dead last in the AL East.

It’s inevitable that Toronto will have a fire sale if they’re not in playoff contention by the July 31 deadline. Big names are certain to hit the market. But would the Jays actually be willing to trade a star such as Donaldson?

While he only has two home runs on the season, ‘The Bringer of Rain’ is still batting .310. Compare that to current Yankees’ third baseman, Chase Headley, and you’ll see he only has one long ball more on Donaldson. Oh, and Headley’s batting .241.

Why this move makes no sense

First off, the Blue Jays don’t need to trade Donaldson. He’s not a free agent until 2019, so the team has plenty of time to move him before those talks ever come to fruition. However, Donaldson’s already 31 years of age, so it’s likely his best days are behind him.

For Toronto, 2019 might be too late to really cash in on his value, but if his play is a problem in two years, the club may be happy to free up $28 million.

From the Yankees’ perspective, this trade also makes zero sense. While Donaldson is certainly an upgrade over Headley, it’s not an immediate move they have to make. The Yankees have more problems than third base.

They need to acquire an actual ace pitcher if they hope to contend into October — and that’s going to cost them dearly. The Yankees have already shown they’re being conservative with their prospects, so if they don’t break the bank for a star pitcher, don’t expect them to break the bank for a third baseman.

The biggest flaw in this rumor is that the Yankees and Jays are division rivals. So, the price will be set astronomically high, if it’s even set at all.

Don’t invest too much into this rumor

The Yankees are inherently a team that is going to get a lot of rumors, especially when they’re playing good. They’re far from flawless. They have a number of roster issues, but third base isn’t really one of them… at the moment.

Personally, I think this is staying a rumor. I don’t see this happening this year or ever for that matter. But, I do like to at least entertain these “ideas” and analyze why such a theory is preposterous.

Part of the fun of baseball is the trade deadline. It’s a time, mostly beforehand, where writers can throw out whatever rumors they think make a team more interesting to watch.

Next: Big Papi Blames the Yankees

If you’re the Yankees or Dodgers, it seems to happen to you more often than other teams. But, it’s all in good fun. The important thing is to not take this gossip too seriously or worse, get your hopes up for a particular move.

Until the club confirms they’re in talks or have a deal completed, a rumor remains just that. 99.9% of them turn out to never happen by the time the deadline is all said and done. Still, speculation is a lot of fun and what makes baseball, baseball.

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