For most MLB players, leaving a struggling team to join a World Series contender late in the season is quite the privilege, but it's still an emotional time for new Cleveland Indians third baseman Josh Donaldson.

The 32-year-old AL made the most of his three-and-a-half years with the Blue Jays, leading the team to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016, while winning the American League MVP in the former year.

Donaldson made it clear to the front office last year that he wanted to be a Blue Jay for life, but he later told reporters they weren't in the "same ballpark" in contract talks. Thus, the 'Bringer of Rain' was traded to Cleveland, and it's difficult for Donaldson to say good-bye to the Blue Jay organization that built him into a major superstar.

"I’m just so grateful for the time that I was with the Toronto Blue Jays organization," Donaldson told Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "Day 1, the fans really took me in...and just how they continued to show up and support me throughout the years was incredible. It’s not a time that I’m going to forget. It is difficult, because I am leaving a city that I did love."

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Sep 1, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) looks on from the dugout during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Donaldson was a star with the Oakland Athletics, but he took it to another level after being traded to the Blue Jays in the 2014 offseason. He cruised to the 2015 AL MVP award after batting .297 with 41 home runs and 123 RBI. Donaldson followed it up with 32 home runs, 99 RBI and a .284 batting average.

But a plethora of injuries limited him to 113 games in 2017, and he's only appeared in 36 games thus far in 2018. With top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. set to take over at third base long-term, the Blue Jays couldn't devote to Donaldson long-term, and they had no choice but to move on from Donaldson.

The Blue Jays are also in rebuilding mode, and plenty of their top prospects have received significant playing time over the past several months. Investing in a player who turns 33 this year wasn't a realistic option for the Blue Jays, no matter how much Donaldson did for the team.

Leaving Toronto is tough for Donaldson, but he's only one of the many players to leave a team and city they loved under difficult circumstances. But if he can lead the Indians to their first World Series championship in 70 years, the move will be well worth it.

NEXT: BLUE JAYS GM ROSS ATKINS DISCUSSES CONTROVERSIAL JOSH DONALDSON TRADE