Josh Donaldson predictably announces Brewers presence with home run, bat drop

Whenever some aggrieved party leaves the Yankees, it's an absolute guarantee that they're going to come out firing at their new home. The only question is whether they're here for a good time (Gary Sánchez returning to the Bronx with the Twins last year) or here for a long time (Aaron Hicks in Baltimore, somehow).

The Yankees acquired Josh Donaldson to be an agitator and bring an edge prior to the 2022 season. Unfortunately, he laser focused his powers internally, exclusively bothering his own fan base and decreasing his team's chances of experiencing joy. Rival teams dismissed him like a gnat. Aaron Boone somehow couldn't get rid of him, instead being roped into 30-minute, one-on-one meetings to address very little.

In all, Donaldson derailed the mojo of the '22 season when he went after Tim Anderson, stared at more fastballs than he swung at, and posted OPS+ marks of 93 and 74 in two seasons in the Bronx. This season, between calf injuries (both real and probably exaggerated), he hit 10 homers! He has five other hits of any variety. He made a devilish 666 plate appearances with the Yankees. We'll never see anything like it again ... or maybe we will, considering the architect of the trade is very much still in charge.

The Yankees finally released Donaldson a few weeks back when he was supposedly readying to return from the IL, and he linked on with the Milwaukee Brewers on the last day possible to facilitate his potential inclusion on the postseason roster. Ready to pick your jaws up off the floor? In his second game with the Brewers, he waited on a hanging breaker, deposited it deep into the night, dropped his bat and walked to first like he hadn't just taken a two-year break from being effective.

Former Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson healthy, hits game-winning home run with Brewers

If he's still a Yankee, this gets caught at the wall. Fact.

Donaldson was recalled, as planned, after five games with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, where he homered twice and batted .176. So far in two games with the big-league Brewers, he's 3-for-9 with a bomb, three walks, and just a single strikeout. Yes, he missed the series at Yankee Stadium by one game.

Maybe it's been so long since he's been in the National League that nobody over there knows you can beat him with a fastball, of any variety, directly down the middle?

Donaldson's bat speed and pitch recognition deserted him over the course of his two years in the Bronx, and while it was obvious at the end that he could still send a baseball a long way if he happened to make contact, he didn't possess the skills to do so with any consistency. If he somehow recaptures the magic in Milwaukee and turns back time (not in a racist way!), rest assured that absolutely nobody in any other city will be rooting for him.