MLB Insider Blasts New York Yankees for 'Terrible' Trade

NEW YORK - This trade did not age well.

Prior to the 2022 season, the New York Yankees traded Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez to the Minnesota Twins for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt.

It's safe to say that this deal hasn't worked out for the Bronx Bombers and one MLB insider says it could have been avoided.

ESPN insider Jeff Passan joined "The Michael Kay Show" on Tuesday to analyze what has gone wrong for the Yankees. Passan highlighted that some decisions have been worse than others, and also mentioned a specific player.

“The Donaldson trade was terrible,” Passan told Kay. “That was bad from the jump. I think the Donaldson trade was bad from the start because the Yankees knew just how poorly he was getting along with people in Minnesota. There was some toxicity going on there. I don’t think you can look at the Donaldson trade in any positive way.”

Donaldson came in with a reputation for being a problem in the clubhouse. However, there has not been any reported issues in the clubhouse about Donaldson since he joined the Yankees.

Although Urshela and Sanchez haven't seen much production since being traded, Donaldson, a former MVP winner, has fallen off a cliff.

In 165 games with the Yankees (33 this season) across two seasons, Donaldson has hit an anemic .207/.293/.385 with 25 home runs and 67 RBIs.

Donaldson, 37, is currently on the 60-day injured list with a tear in his calf. He is not eligible to return from the IL until mid-September. He has a mutual option on his contract with an $8 million buyout, but he is unlikely to return to the Yankees next season.

Kiner-Falefa and Rortvedt haven't stood out since coming to the Yankees either. Kiner-Falefa has a .253 average, .679 OPS and six home runs this season. Rortvedt has posted a .550 OPS in 51 plate appearances in a backup catcher role.

Passan believes this trade was a result of one of the organization's weaknesses.

“To me, the cause of all of this – of the necessity to go out and get out of these guys – the greatest place you can criticize the Yankees over the last 15 years is their drafts,” Passan said. “They’ve drafted incredibly poorly over the last 15 years.”