Josh Donaldson Trade Rumors: Cardinals Contacted Blue Jays About Move

Reeling after being rebuffed by Giancarlo Stanton, the St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly targeted third baseman Josh Donaldson as they look to add a power bat to their lineup. 

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the news. 

Donaldson, 32, is heading into his final year of arbitration this winter. He hit .270/.385/.559 with 33 home runs and 78 runs batted in last season. Rosenthal's report indicates the Jays are currently confident they can keep Donaldson when he hits free agency next offseason.

The Jays are considering Jay Bruce and Carlos Gonzalez as potential options to add this winter, per Rosenthal.

Donaldson has maintained he wants to stay in Toronto long term.

“I love Toronto, I love playing there," Donaldson told Shi Davidi of SportsNet in October. "By the same token, I understand their side of it and both sides have got to match. My first choice as of right now is I want to be here. I enjoy the city, I enjoy this team, I enjoy the people that are around here, and I just let him know that. I wanted to be up-front before anything else came out there, or something like that. ‘Hey this is where I stand, I want you to know this.’

“There was no talk about a contract or any type of dollars. It was just my feelings and letting him know where my heart is at and ultimately we’ll see if anything can get worked out.”

Donaldson has spent the last three seasons with the Blue Jays after being traded by the Oakland Athletics. He has become one of the best players in baseball during that timeframe, winning the 2015 American League MVP Award. Only Mike Trout and Kris Bryant have a higher WAR over the last three seasons, per FanGraphs.