Should The Houston Astros Trade For Josh Donaldson?

Should the Houston Astros trade for Josh Donaldson?

A few days ago Buster Olney wrote an article (ESPN Insider required) about the Oakland Athletics blowing up their team after a terrible collapse late in the season. Olney mentions that Josh Donaldson, in the prime of his career, probably will be traded this winter. If there is a chance that Josh Donaldson is on the trade block – though Jim Bowden (ESPN)_ claims he’s staying in Oakland – the Houston Astros need to make a move for him.

Josh Donaldson, 3B

Donaldson, the current third baseman for the Athletics, is really a good player in his prime. Donaldson is coming off of a season where he hit .255 with 29 HR, 98 RBI in 158 games. In 2013 Donaldson hit .301 with 24 HR, 93 RBI. More importantly though, Donaldson is a great defender at third base. Just this season Donaldson put up 2.7 dWAR compared to Matt Dominguez‘s 0.1 dWAR. Donaldson posted 8.0 WAR in 2013 and 7.4 WAR in 2014.

Why Should The Astros Make The Trade?

Donaldson has shown that he is a middle of the order bat too. This season he posted a .201 ISO and 129 wRC+ which was identical to George Springer‘s wRC+ this season. Acquiring Donaldson could give the Houston Astros a chance to have three 30+ HR hitters in Donaldson, Springer, and Carter. Donaldson will also solidify the third base for the Astros for years to come. Also Donaldson will be arbitration eligible in 2015 and will not be a free agent until 2019. He was worth 9 wins above replacement compared to Dominguez which would be a huge improvement.

What Would It Take?

It is not often that a team trades a star player in his prime. The most recent ones seem to be teams trading pitchers but not position players. The package to get Donaldson would not be light but the Houston Astros have built a farm system to pull off this trade.

Houston gets:

Josh Donaldson, 3B

Oakland gets:

Michael Foltynewicz, RHP; Domingo Santana, OF; Rio Ruiz, 3B; Nick Tropeano, RHP; PTBNL (J.D. Davis, 3B)

This may seem like a steep package but to get a star player it is necessary. Some may think it is not enough. The Astros give up major league ready pieces in Foltynewicz, Tropeano, and possibly Santana. They also give up a top 3rd base prospect in Ruiz. The depth of the minor league system allows the Astros to make a move like this without taking a huge hit.

Now it is still uncertain if Donaldson will be available but if he is, the Astros should make a move. Acquiring Donaldson would give the Astros a proven star to pair with Jose Altuve, George Springer, and the prospects on their way up through the system. I also think the Astros should look at signing a guy like J.J. Hardy but we will leave that debate for another article.

The 2015 lineup: