[外電] 2010s十大交易案 Part 8

這是2010s 十大交易案第八集，翻譯Mike Petriello的外電。
來源：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
藍鳥獲得：Josh Donaldson
運動家獲得：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 Wild Card Game lead vs. the Royals, recent baseball history would have looked very different. In response, they ... traded one of baseball's best players over the previous two years. The A's reportedly didn't really want to move him, but they relented only when Toronto agreed to give up all four players Oaklandinsisted 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 Josh Phegley.
The Blue Jays hadn't seen October since winning the 1993 World Series, and they were desperate to get back. They kicked off the winter by trading for MarcoEstrada, and 10 days earlier, they signed catcher Russell Martin to a five-year deal. Though Lawrie was a popular Canadian player, he'd also been just a league-average player. When you can get a Donaldson, you get him.

(1)交易發生背景
在2014年梭哈搶下J.Samadzija、Jon Lester後，運動家很不幸的在美聯外卡戰丟掉了7:3的領先，無緣晉級，因此他們在休賽季準備開始重建，而重建的第一個目標就是陣中主砲Josh Donaldson。順帶一提，他們在兩個禮拜後就再把Samardzija交易到白襪，換取M.Semien(19MVP-3)、C.Bassitt(20CY-8)和J.Phegley。
而藍鳥隊從1993年以來就再也沒進過季後賽。在14年打出83-79的他們決定在15年大肆補強，爭取睽違已久的十月舞台。先是交易來先發投手Marco Estrada，又以5年合約簽下捕手Russell Martin，坐擁EE和Bautista兩大重砲的藍鳥決定將備受愛戴的加拿大選手Lawrie作為籌碼交易出去，以換取美聯最強的三壘手之一，補上打線最後一塊拼圖。

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 there'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)當時交易評價
Josh Donaldson在13年和14年WRC+都有130以上，相較於聯盟平均的Lawrie，Donaldson的到來顯然是戰力上的大升級，能幫助季後賽邊緣的他們擠進季後賽的窄門內。Fangraphs對此的評價則為「這正是一筆能讓80-85勝球隊晉升90W+世界大賽競爭者的交易」
至於運動家方，Donaldson當時正29歲，在合約金額逐年升高，且球技有可能開始下滑時，將他在高點賣掉對準備進入重建的他們是相對有利的。作家Ben Lindbergh也提到「運動家隊看似瘋狂的交易其實在最壞情況下是種保險措施，而在最好情況下是在高點脱手的聰明交易」
在運動家拿到的四名球員中最有價值的是24歲的年輕內野手Brett Lawrie。身為2008年的首輪新秀，Lawrie已經在大聯盟擁有4個球季的表現，攻守皆有一定水準且拼勁十足的他在藍鳥隊四年打出265/323/426，104 OPS+，外帶4.4WAR的表現。唯一的隱憂大概就是健康問題，4年內缺賽184場讓他的貢獻減少不少；18歲的Franklin Barreto是藍鳥隊的IFA游擊新秀，排名FG藍鳥農場第11，擁有不錯的打擊能力和一定的Power。Nolin排名FG藍鳥第10，是控球型的左投手，被預期能成為穩健的4號先發；Graveman則一樣是擁有中段輪值天賦的年輕右投手
And then what happened?
If Donaldson had been good for the A's, he broke out for the Blue Jays, hitting 41 homers with a 151 OPS+ and beating out Mike Trout for the 2015 AL MVP Award. Paired with Bautista and Edwin Encarnaci鏮, Donaldson and the Blue Jays made it to the ALCS in each of his first two seasons with Toronto, though they couldn't progress further; Donaldson put up three star-level seasons, smashing111 homers with a 151 OPS+. He was traded to Cleveland in the midst of an injury-plagued 2018. Even with a relatively limited Toronto tenure, he's one of the 10 most valuable position players in franchise history.
Oakland's return hasn't provided the same benefits. Lawrie lasted a single disappointing year in Oakland before being traded, and Nolin's six games for the2015 A's are, to date, his last Major League appearances. Graveman started onOpening 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, Barreto, is still only 23, but a .189/.220/.378 slash line in 209 plate appearancesover parts of three seasons isn't giving much hope he'll be more than a backup.

(3)交易後續影響：
Donaldson在運動家表現已經很好了，但轉隊之後他的打擊威力又進一步提升。他2015年轟出44隻全壘打，外帶高達151的OPS+，並擊敗M.Trout奪下當年美聯MVP。他和EE、Bautista，Tulowitzki四連星組成的暴力打線幫助藍鳥連續兩年打進ALCS。總計Donaldson三年藍鳥生涯打出111轟，外帶148的OPS+和21.4的WAR。雖然僅僅待了三年，但Josh Donaldson已經足以排進藍鳥隊史最有價值的十名野手之列。
相反地，運動家得到的回報看起來就不那麼耀眼了。備受期待的Lawrie在轉隊後表現下滑，OPS+掉到95，僅僅一個球季運動家就認賠殺出，將他賣到白襪隊；Nolin僅僅在運動家投了六場防禦率高達5.28的比賽之後就再也沒有在大聯盟出賽；Graveman表現不錯，2015-17年都是運動家的主力先發，並在2017和18年都在運動家缺乏先發人手的情況下擔綱開幕戰先發。但他的表現說實在的，也就是個能吃局數的四號。2018年動了TJ之後他也離開了運動家體系；Barreto最高在Mlb.com排到No.52、FG No.32。但是他升上大聯盟後表現一直沒辦法將小聯盟的好表現順利轉換上去，運動家生涯通算三圍175/207/342外帶-0.3的悲慘WAR，也在2020年被交易到天使換取Tommy La Stella。

Would each team do it again?
Donaldson was an enormous part of the most memorable Blue Jays teams in decades, so of course they would. This is one the A's would absolutely love to haveback.

(4)如果可以回到過去，交易雙方會反悔嗎？
Donaldson是十年來藍鳥最令人印象深刻的陣容中最重要的補強，他們付出的不多，也得到了他們想要的，毫無疑問的他們當然會同意；運動家隊則正好相反，他們絕對會試著保留這名MVP級看板球星或試著獲取更多回報的。

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他畢竟是在地球星，在藍鳥很受歡迎，後來到運動家白襪才跑出一大堆休息室Drama的