Cleveland, OH
Josh Donaldson announces retirement from MLB, credits Oakland A’s fans
Josh Donaldson, who broke out as an American League MVP candidate with the Oakland A’s, announced his retirement from baseball on Monday.
Donaldson announced his decision on the “Mayor’s Office” podcast with former big league Sean Casey.
“Today is a sad but happy day for me,” said the 38-year-old. “I am going to announce my retirement from the game I’ve dedicated my entire life to. It’s sad because I will not be able to go out and play the game I love anymore. It’s also a very happy time that I get to be around the family and take that next chapter in life.”
Donaldson struggled last year, hitting just .152 within a .667 OPS over 50 games between the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers.
He said he considered returning for another season, but the right opportunity didn’t present itself.
Donaldson will finish his 13-year career with a .261 average, .847 OPS, 279 home runs, three All-Star nominations and the 2015 American League MVP award.
He was originally drafted No. 48 overall by the Chicago Cubs as a catcher/third baseman out of Auburn University in 2007, but was traded to the A’s the following year as part of the trade for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin.
He didn’t make it to the big leagues until 2010, when he hit just .156 in 14 games before being sent back down. He was called up and sent back down five times until the middle of the 2012 season, when something clicked.
“I started making changes, seeing how guys were pitching me, understanding that there were some pitches that I wasn’t able to handle and I needed to figure out a way to do that,” he said on the podcast. “My approach was, if it’s over the plate, swing. Once I got sent down the last time I started honing my approach and thinking, ‘I have to dictate the at-bat.’”
He was recalled for the final time on Aug. 14, 2012, and hit .290 with an .844 OPS over his final 47 games while leading the A’s to their first postseason berth since 2006. They won their final six games, including a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers, to win the A.L. West on the final day of the season.
The following year in 2013, Donaldson exploded while hitting .301 with an .883 OPS and 24 home runs, earning him a fourth-place finish in the MVP voting while again leading the A’s to the postseason.
After another big year in 2014, Donaldson was due for a big raise, but the A’s instead traded him to Toronto for Franklin Barreto, Kendall Graveman, Brett Lawrie and Sean Nolin.
It ended up being a poor deal for the A’s, who finished in last place the next three years.
Still, Donaldson said he remembers his time in Oakland fondly.
“First and foremost the fans there are pretty spectacular,” he said. “By the end of 2012, 2013, they started showing up more and more. The true fanbase there, they were like our team: they’re grinders. They were out there supporting us through the best of times and the worst of times…
“We were always overlooked and we over-performed as a team because we were grinders. We weren’t able to get to the World Series, which is the ultimate goal, but we were picked to finish fifth in the division every year and we won the division in 2012…That was a pretty special time in my career.”
Donaldson won the MVP his first year in Toronto and continued as one of the game’s premier third basemen until his age-36 season in 2022, when he was traded to the Yankees and struggled to perform.
“The last two years were tough for me,” he said. “It’s tough to play in New York when you’re not winning. It’s especially tough when you’re not playing well.”
Donaldson said he got married to his longtime partner this offseason. They have a 3-year-old and 7-year-old. He said he plans to golf a lot more in his retirement.
“If you would’ve asked me in 2010 if I would have the career I was able to accomplish, there’s 5% of me that would’ve said yes,” Donaldson said. “The other 95% of me would’ve been like, ‘you’re crazy.’”
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Heinen’s Grocery Store announced on Friday that it will be closing its downtown Cleveland location on the corner of East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue.
This last day will be on July 31.
The store first opened in 2015.
All associates at the downtown store will be offered roles at other Heinen’s locations, and there will be no layoffs, the release said. This decision affects only the Downtown Cleveland location.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb shared the following statement after the announcement was released:
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers added another guard to their logjam at the position during the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Arkansas guard Maleek Thomas was one of the best players remaining on the board when the Cavaliers were on the clock at No. 34 overall, which they acquired from the Sacramento Kings in a trade back out of No. 29 overall on Tuesday night’s Round 1.
So Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman took Thomas off of the board, opting to select the best player available instead of drafting for fit, as Cleveland still has a dire need on the wing and backup center.
“When you’re picking at No. 34, you don’t have the luxury to say ‘let’s pick for fit,’” Altman said after the selection on Wednesday night.
It’s clear that the longtime basketball executive understands that Thomas doesn’t necessarily fit this current version of the Cavaliers. They’re expecting veteran point guard James Harden to return on a new contract. They also still employ Dennis Schroder, Tyrese Proctor and Craig Porter Jr., who just saw his contract option exercised by the Cavaliers.
Altman admitted that with so many guards to account for on the roster, the hard part will be figuring out how it all fits together.
Who is the odd man out?
It’s very possible that the reason why the Cavaliers traded out of No. 29 overall was due to financial reasons.
At No. 29, the Cavaliers really liked Thomas, and he probably would’ve been their selection. Even though he’s another small guard, he loves the game of basketball and comes from head coach John Calipari, which is as close to NBA coaching that you’ll find in the NBA.
But in Round 2, the Cavs could give Thomas a non-guaranteed two-way deal that would have the 19-year-old point guard split time between the Cavaliers and Cleveland’s G League affiliate Charge.
This makes life uncomfortable for Porter Jr., even though his option was just exercised. He’s on the final year of a deal, and could be included in a trade package as a sweetener. Of course, none of Cleveland’s guards aside from Harden should be untouchable in big trade packages that could help solve the team’s holes on the wing and in the frontcourt.
Schroder could be dealt as well because of his big salary.
Even though he doesn’t seamlessly fit, the Cavaliers found a way to get a first-round talent in Day 2 of the NBA Draft. It was a talented class and Thomas could be a gem.
But Altman needs to find a way to better construct this roster before the season comes around.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The man wanted for the 2024 murder of a Northeast Ohio rapper in Cleveland, was arrested Thursday by members of the U.S. Marshals led Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.
The U.S. Marshals said Steven Smith, 27, was taken into custody at a home in the 15900 block of Invermere Ave. in Cleveland.
Smith is accused of fatally shooting Carlos Banks, 28, on Dec. 29. 2024 inside an apartment at 5115 The Rising.
This is in the city’s Slavic Village neighborhood.
Cleveland EMS pronounced Banks dead at the scene.
Also known by stage name KashBankx, the 28-year-old had amassed thousands of social media followers with his rap career.
19 News previously spoke with community journalist Jaylyn King who says he’s interviewed Banks multiple times about his music career.
“Normally Cleveland has a set sound that’s really repetitive,’ said King. “He (Banks) was one that stood out and was very different than other artists”.
“This is big because he touched and influenced so many people,” said King “Even outside of music”.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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