AL East third basemen second to none

So how do you like the third basemen in the American League East these days?

The roll call includes Manny Machado, Evan Longoria, Pablo Sandoval and now Josh Donaldson after last night's trade between the Athletics and Blue Jays.

It also includes Alex Rodriguez, which must make the Yankees dry heave.

Longoria feels like the only holdover in the group. Donaldson arrived via trade, Sandoval signed with the Red Sox as a free agent, Machado was injured and Rodriguez was suspended.

Machado and Donaldson have a history, in case you've forgotten. They used to be on opposite coasts. Now they're just a bat's throw away.

Donaldson is a career .276/.368/.517 hitter with five doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs in 16 games against the Orioles. He's only 3-for-23 (.130) with nine strikeouts at Camden Yards, but two of the hits are home runs.

Brett Lawrie, sent to the Athletics, is a career .258/.335/.455 hitter with five doubles, 10 home runs and 29 RBIs in 48 games against the Orioles. He's a .200/.300/.343 hitter with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs in 28 games at Camden Yards.

Donaldson is the superior defensive player and a tremendous bargain, with MLBTradeRumors.com projecting him to make $4.5 million in arbitration. He isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2018 season.

The three prospects going to Oakland better be real good.

The Blue Jays are going for it in 2015 after doing nothing at the non-waiver trade deadline. They already signed catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal.

If they're serious about contending, they might want to do something about their rotation. And their lineup leans heavily to the right, which could keep them in play for switch-hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera.

Orioles fans wondered if the club would be pushed to make some dynamic moves after the Red Sox signed Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez on the same day. I responded that executive vice president Dan Duquette won't be pressured into doing anything based on the actions of other teams.

The same goes for last night's trade.