Looks like we have an opening scene for “Moneyball II: It’s Still Working.”
And we also could have a better idea why the A’s traded budding star Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays for injury-riddled Brett Lawrie and a trio of prospects. According to Bleacher Report, Donaldson clashed with Oakland GM Billy Beane over the slugging third baseman’s request for an off-day.
“Donaldson told the manager he needed a blow, and [manager Bob] Melvin said, ‘You got it,’ ” a source told the website. “Then that night’s lineup came out and Billy asked, ‘Where’s Donaldson?’ ”
Beane demanded Donaldson be put back in the lineup and told him that if he needed to sit then he should go on the disabled list. During the heated argument, Donaldson repeatedly referred to Beane as “Billy Boy.”
“Nobody talks to Billy that way,” the source said. “It did not surprise me in the least that he got rid of Donaldson.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported the story began to emerge after Donaldson was dealt to Toronto last week. Both sides denied the juicy parts of the story to the paper with Beane calling it “normal protocol” and Donaldson saying, “We had a talk, but that was before the All-Star break.”