Final connection to Josh Donaldson trade is gone

Zack Erwin now pitches in the Rays orgThe Tampa Bay Rays signed left-handed pitcher Zack Erwin to a minor league contract, reported Erwin himself in a tweet Wednesday.

This is relevant to Oakland A’s fans because Erwin spent the last six seasons in the A’s farm system, reaching as high as Triple-A Las Vegas in 2021.

But what’s especially notable about this news is how Erwin arrived here in the first place, and what his departure symbolizes. The Josh Donaldson trade tree is officially finished.

When the A’s traded Donaldson to the Blue Jays in November of 2014, they got four players back from Toronto. The group included third baseman Brett Lawrie, pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, and…