A month and change later, it’s still a little weird. It’s a rare rental type of move that the Indians wouldn’t be caught dead doing in the past because of how costly it would be. And yet, at the same time, the risk/reward levels of it are pure Cleveland. He’s startng at third base, and hitting in the heart of the lineup. It’s plain what the hope is -- that he returns to the form he showed prior to 2018. Is this realistic? It’s a small sample we have to work with, but it’s pretty encouraging.
In the three years prior to 2018, Donaldson was, as we all know, a beast.