Josh Donaldson: Lucas Giolito Calling Me 'A F--king Pest' Almost Like a 'Compliment'

Minnesota Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson says he spoke with Lucas Giolito after Tuesday's game, but the Chicago White Sox pitcher "didn't have much to say."

"He said he thought it was annoying. I said, 'So what? I'm on the opposing team. What do you care about me? I'm in your face, what do you have to say about that?' And he didn't have a response," Donaldson told reporters Wednesday of the conversation, which he said took place in the parking lot.

Donaldson also responded to Giolito calling him a "f--king pest."

"He called me a pest, right?" Donaldson told reporters. "Which is fine. I kind of almost consider that a compliment.

Giolito called Donaldson "classless" Tuesday after the Twins slugger called out Giolito for using foreign substances while pitching. The White Sox star has been vocal about his displeasure about MLB's midseason crackdown.

"If we're going to talk about class, what side are you going to choose? Are you going to take the side of somebody who's playing the game fair? Or are you going to take the side of someone who probably cheated?" Donaldson said.

MLB's enforcement of the longstanding ban on foreign aid—which the league had largely ignored for a half-decade—began earlier this month. Pitchers are now subject to regular checks of their gear for substances, and managers can request umpires look into opposing players during an inning.

There has been an obvious impact across the sport, with spin rate and strikeouts down while batting average rises from a historic nadir. However, Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow blamed the midseason change for his partially torn UCL. Others around the sport are concerned pitchers could hurt their arms by overthrowing to maintain a high spin rate or because of grip issues.