这是2010s 十大交易案第八集，翻译Mike Petriello的外电。
来源：https://www.mlb.com/news/the-10-biggest-mlb-trades-of-the-2010s
(8) Toronto adds its missing piece
Nov. 28, 2014: A's trade 3B Josh Donaldson to Blue Jays for 2B/3B Brett Lawrie
, SS Franklin Barreto, P Sean Nolin and P Kendall Graveman
(8)Josh Donaldson交易案
蓝鸟获得：Josh Donaldson
运动家获得：Brett Lawrie、Franklin Barreto、Sean Nolin、Kendall Graveman
What even?
The 2014 A's traded for Jon Lester, Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija, but they
fell apart down the stretch, and had they not blown a 7-3 seventh-inning AL W
ild Card Game lead vs. the Royals, recent baseball history would have looked v
ery different. In response, they ... traded one of baseball's best players ove
r the previous two years. The A's reportedly didn't really want to move him, b
ut they relented only when Toronto agreed to give up all four players Oakland
insisted upon. Two weeks later, the A's flipped Samardzija to the White Sox in
a deal that paid off enormously, returning Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt and J
osh Phegley.
The Blue Jays hadn't seen October since winning the 1993 World Series, and the
y were desperate to get back. They kicked off the winter by trading for Marco
Estrada, and 10 days earlier, they signed catcher Russell Martin to a five-yea
r deal. Though Lawrie was a popular Canadian player, he'd also been just a lea
gue-average player. When you can get a Donaldson, you get him.
(1)交易发生背景
在2014年梭哈抢下J.Samadzija、Jon Lester后，运动家很不幸的在美联外卡战丢掉了7:3
的领先，无缘晋级，因此他们在休赛季准备开始重建，而重建的第一个目标就是阵中主砲
Josh Donaldson。顺带一提，他们在两个礼拜后就再把Samardzija交易到白袜，换取M.Se
mien(19MVP-3)、C.Bassitt(20CY-8)和J.Phegley。
而蓝鸟队从1993年以来就再也没进过季后赛。在14年打出83-79的他们决定在15年大肆补
强，争取睽违已久的十月舞台。先是交易来先发投手Marco Estrada，又以5年合约签下捕
手Russell Martin，坐拥EE和Bautista两大重砲的蓝鸟决定将备受爱戴的加拿大选手Lawr
ie作为筹码交易出去，以换取美联最强的三垒手之一，补上打线最后一块拼图。
Were the takes good or bad?
Ben Lindbergh's Grantland article was titled "Why Oakland’s Seemingly Insane
Josh Donaldson Trade Is Defensible at Worst and Sell-High Smart at Best," so t
here's that. "Deals like this are how teams climb from the 80-85 win treadmill
to the 90-win tier of World Series favorites," wrote FanGraphs about the Blue
Jays. It's "a shocker that effectively signals a rebuild on the part of the A
’s," said Sports Illustrated, and Oakland did indeed finish in last place in
the AL West each of the next three seasons.
(2)当时交易评价
Josh Donaldson在13年和14年WRC+都有130以上，相较于联盟平均的Lawrie，Donaldson的
到来显然是战力上的大升级，能帮助季后赛边缘的他们挤进季后赛的窄门内。Fangraphs
对此的评价则为“这正是一笔能让80-85胜球队晋升90W+世界大赛竞争者的交易”
至于运动家方，Donaldson当时正29岁，在合约金额逐年升高，且球技有可能开始下滑时
，将他在高点卖掉对准备进入重建的他们是相对有利的。作家Ben Lindbergh也提到“运
动家队看似疯狂的交易其实在最坏情况下是种保险措施，而在最好情况下是在高点脱手的
聪明交易”
在运动家拿到的四名球员中最有价值的是24岁的年轻内野手Brett Lawrie。身为2008年的
首轮新秀，Lawrie已经在大联盟拥有4个球季的表现，攻守皆有一定水准且拼劲十足的他
在蓝鸟队四年打出265/323/426，104 OPS+，外带4.4WAR的表现。唯一的隐忧大概就是健
康问题，4年内缺赛184场让他的贡献减少不少；18岁的Franklin Barreto是蓝鸟队的IFA
游击新秀，排名FG蓝鸟农场第11，拥有不错的打击能力和一定的Power。Nolin排名FG蓝鸟
第10，是控球型的左投手，被预期能成为稳健的4号先发；Graveman则一样是拥有中段轮
值天赋的年轻右投手
And then what happened?
If Donaldson had been good for the A's, he broke out for the Blue Jays, hittin
g 41 homers with a 151 OPS+ and beating out Mike Trout for the 2015 AL MVP Awa
rd. Paired with Bautista and Edwin Encarnaci鏮, Donaldson and the Blue Jays ma
de it to the ALCS in each of his first two seasons with Toronto, though they c
ouldn't progress further; Donaldson put up three star-level seasons, smashing
111 homers with a 151 OPS+. He was traded to Cleveland in the midst of an inju
ry-plagued 2018. Even with a relatively limited Toronto tenure, he's one of th
e 10 most valuable position players in franchise history.
Oakland's return hasn't provided the same benefits. Lawrie lasted a single dis
appointing year in Oakland before being traded, and Nolin's six games for the
2015 A's are, to date, his last Major League appearances. Graveman started on
Opening Day in 2017 and '18, but he topped out at "average" and hasn't pitched
since early 2018 due to Tommy John surgery. The only remaining player, Barret
o, is still only 23, but a .189/.220/.378 slash line in 209 plate appearances
over parts of three seasons isn't giving much hope he'll be more than a backup
.
(3)交易后续影响：
Donaldson在运动家表现已经很好了，但转队之后他的打击威力又进一步提升。他2015年
轰出44只全垒打，外带高达151的OPS+，并击败M.Trout夺下当年美联MVP。他和EE、Bauti
sta，Tulowitzki四连星组成的暴力打线帮助蓝鸟连续两年打进ALCS。总计Donaldson三年
蓝鸟生涯打出111轰，外带148的OPS+和21.4的WAR。虽然仅仅待了三年，但Josh Donaldso
n已经足以排进蓝鸟队史最有价值的十名野手之列。
相反地，运动家得到的回报看起来就不那么耀眼了。备受期待的Lawrie在转队后表现下滑
，OPS+掉到95，仅仅一个球季运动家就认赔杀出，将他卖到白袜队；Nolin仅仅在运动家
投了六场防御率高达5.28的比赛之后就再也没有在大联盟出赛；Graveman表现不错，2015
-17年都是运动家的主力先发，并在2017和18年都在运动家缺乏先发人手的情况下担纲开
幕战先发。但他的表现说实在的，也就是个能吃局数的四号。2018年动了TJ之后他也离开
了运动家体系；Barreto最高在Mlb.com排到No.52、FG No.32。但是他升上大联盟后表现
一直没办法将小联盟的好表现顺利转换上去，运动家生涯通算三围175/207/342外带-0.3
的悲惨WAR，也在2020年被交易到天使换取Tommy La Stella。
Would each team do it again?
Donaldson was an enormous part of the most memorable Blue Jays teams in decade
s, so of course they would. This is one the A's would absolutely love to have
back.
(4)如果可以回到过去，交易双方会反悔吗？
Donaldson是十年来蓝鸟最令人印象深刻的阵容中最重要的补强，他们付出的不多，也得
到了他们想要的，毫无疑问的他们当然会同意；运动家队则正好相反，他们绝对会试着保
留这名MVP级看板球星或试着获取更多回报的。