TORONTO -- Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins is attempting to clear the air surrounding the series of events that led to Friday night's trade of star third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Donaldson was officially dealt to Cleveland in exchange for a player to be named later, but not before the three-time All-Star sounded off in an interview with the Toronto Sun following a recent rehab game in Class A Advanced Dunedin.

In that interview, Donaldson stated that he "completely ruptured" his left calf muscle while rehabbing in Florida. He also seemed to suggest there was a disconnect between himself and the club's medical staff, and that he would have a lot more to say at a later date. On Saturday afternoon, Atkins responded.
"All we've done, is tried to add resources," Atkins said during a conference call with reporters. "Physical therapists, more medical support, nutritionists, sleep therapists, massage therapists. More resources. What we try is to have the best for the players, and ultimately, Josh decided this past offseason to follow his own path.
"He was not using our resources during the offseason, which was fine with us. We support him 100 percent in his desire to do that. There's certainly not a disconnect internally, but I think when players are being traded there is a level of emotion."
Donaldson's decision to stick with his own program, instead of one outlined by the team, shouldn't be surprising because the former American League MVP made it abundantly clear he would be doing just that during a scrum with the media at the end of the 2017 season.
The veteran third baseman did not appear to be happy with the way his injured left calf was treated and vowed to follow his own routine in the future. A couple of weeks later, Atkins conceded there was a "communication breakdown" as the club looked to integrate an innovative high-performance department with more traditional athletic training procedures.
The so-called communication issues led to a series of personnel changes during the offseason. Atkins conceded mistakes were made, but stressed they were fixed long before the 2018 season began. Donaldson, who is expected to meet with the Cleveland media as early as Saturday night, apparently does not agree, but Atkins believes the Blue Jays did everything they could.
"He was driving the timelines to push," Atkins said. "When he wanted to take the next step, that was completely his call. When he wanted to play, that was completely his call. We were making suggestions in and around the treatment and therapy.
"At one point he did decide to get external consultation, which we 100 percent supported. We flew him to that external consultation, and that person was another piece in the equation, in trying to help his return to play as quickly as possible. We're providing the best resources we possibly can."
The drama surrounding this situation could reach a fever pitch late next week when Cleveland arrives in Toronto for the start of a four-game series on Thursday. Donaldson was set to report to the Indians on Saturday night, but it's still not immediately clear whether his injured calf will allow him to play next week at Rogers Centre.
Donaldson is expected to address his side of the story in the near future as questions continue to linger about why he went from being listed as day-to-day in late May, to essentially disappearing from Toronto for upward of three months, because of what the club consistently described as calf tightness.
Blue Jays fans will have to wait a little bit longer before the player to be named later is officially announced. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the player is expected to be right-hander Julian Merryweather, who underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training. The 26-year-old posted a 5.32 ERA in 25 starts at Double-A and Triple-A last season.
"There were four solid teams in play," Atkins said when asked about the market for Donaldson. "Four teams with solid interest. We had very good alternatives and this was the best return. That's what it came down to. It was very close. It was a very difficult decision for us and ultimately decided this was the best return."
It was believed for weeks that the Blue Jays and Donaldson were headed for a breakup because Toronto's front office wanted nothing to do with an approximately $18 million qualifying offer to Donaldson at the end of the season. While that would have guaranteed a compensatory Draft pick if Donaldson left for another team, the Blue Jays did not appear willing to risk that he might accept.
That notion was disputed by Atkins during the conference call. He claimed the decision to part ways with Donaldson did not have anything to do with next year's budget, and instead was about making the most of the options at Toronto's disposal in the current moment.
"No, that was not a factor," Atkins said. "It wasn't a budgetary decision. That would not have come into it. The decision to make him a qualifying offer or not, there was still a lot of information to come. The performance over the final month and how he returned to Toronto. We would have wanted to factor in that information before we made a decision."