‘We had what it took to win’: Josh Donaldson reflects fondly on 2015 Blue Jays

The best season of Josh Donaldson’s career came during his MVP campaign in 2015 and looking back now, he says the bond that existed in the Toronto Blue Jays locker room that season was something few outsiders truly comprehend.  

“How much we love each other — brotherhood. The large group of guys in that locker room really cared about each other [and] still [do] to this day,” Donaldson said Tuesday during an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Blair and Barker. 

“We all felt the same and we all knew there was one goal in mind and we knew that we were good. And then, on top of that, we played really well. I remember when we came into a town, by the time we left town on the road, the teams were happy that we were gone. And that was a big compliment for us. There were a multitude of different teams that we faced, when the starting pitcher was on the mound, we knew they were beat before the game started. That was what was so much fun for us.”

Donaldson announced his retirement on Monday following a 13-year big-league career. He was a three-time all-star, a two-time Silver Slugger and captured the 2015 American League MVP award when he hit .297/.371/.568 with 41 homers and a league-leading 123 RBIs and 352 total bases. The third baseman accumulated 46.8 wins above replacement, as calculated by Baseball Reference, during a career that included seven different teams. 

Donaldson was traded to the New York Yankees from the Minnesota Twins in 2022 and began to experience hamstring and calf issues that severely impacted him on the field. He says those injuries precipitated his retirement.  

“The hardest part about going through all that is for someone who has always played with a really high motor to have to learn how to play the game at like 70 per cent,” said Donaldson.

“That was always something that I fought against because it was just how I was raised and how I played the game — 100 per cent or nothing. So, I had to learn how to do that and, going back into the decision to retire, I just look at it like this: It would have had to be a perfect situation for me to play this this season.”

Donaldson married his wife Briana, who is from Toronto, in January and says he’s looking forward to spending time at home with their children. 

Nicknamed The Bringer of Rain, Donaldson acknowledged to hosts Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker that he played the sport with an extreme edge that branded him with a reputation. 

“I love to compete,” he said. “I know I went about it probably in a more intense manner than most people, but I couldn’t play any other way. That’s how I had to play and feel like I was in a fight against the other team. Sometimes I’ve probably rubbed people the wrong way and that’s okay. 

“But it wasn’t with any other intent than to try to win.”

That trademark intensity was one of the defining ingredients of the 2015 Blue Jays, a club that captured the AL East and ultimately fell in six games to the Kansas City Royals in the AL Championship Series.   

“We knew we were good and we went out there and played well, too,” said Donaldson. “Obviously, we ran into Kansas City and they played great in that series and beat us. But there’s no doubt in my mind — we had what it took to win the World Series. It just wasn’t our series.”